Dallas County Health and Human Services says they are seeing "considerably more West Nile Virus activity" compared to 2019 and will be spraying for mosquitos this week.
"Dallas County is seeing considerably more West Nile Virus activity compared with last year. It is very important to follow the four D's to protect yourself from mosquito bites and West Nile Virus", said Dr. Philip Huang, director of DCHHS.
The county health department made the announcement while confirming more positive samples of the virus -- this time in the 75216 and 75229 ZIP codes in Dallas, in the 75019 ZIP code in Coppell and in the 75234 and 75235 ZIP codes in Farmers Branch.
DCHHS said mosquito abatement teams are responding by treating impacting areas on Monday, Aug. 31 and on Tuesday, Sept. 1. A detailed map of the spray area can be viewed at http://www.dallas.leateamapps.com/PublicMap/ -- the areas in blue are the areas to be treated for mosquitoes.
How to Protect Yourself From Mosquito Bites
- 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
