An Irving resident has died from West Nile virus, according to Dallas County Health and Human Services, becoming the second county resident to die from the disease this season.
The victim, who lived in the 75061 ZIP code in Irving, was in his or her 80s and had been diagnosed with the more severe West Nile neuroinvasive disease, health officials said Friday.
For medical confidentiality and personal privacy reasons, further information is not expected to be released about the patient.
Two other human West Nile cases were reported Friday, including a resident in the 75206 ZIP code in Dallas who has West Nile fever and a resident in the 75043 ZIP code in Garland who has the neuroinvasive disease.
- Dress in long sleeves, pants when outside: For extra protection, spray thin clothing with repellent.
- DEET: Make sure this ingredient is in your insect repellent.
- Drain standing water in your yard and neighborhood: Mosquitoes can develop in any water stagnant for more than three days.
It has been recommended in the past that to avoid mosquito bites you should avoid being outdoors during Dusk and Dawn (the 4 Ds). While this is true for mosquitoes that commonly carry the West Nile virus, other types of mosquitoes that are more likely to carry Zika, dengue and chikungunya are active during the day. When outdoors, no matter what time of day, adjust your dress accordingly and wear insect repellent containing DEET, picaridin or oil of lemon eucalyptus as your first line of defense against insect bites.
