A mosquito has tested positive for West Nile virus in Tarrant County for the first time in 2014, according to the Tarrant County Public Health Department.
The mosquito was recently trapped in Benbrook, near the southwestern border of Fort Worth, and the test results were confirmed Wednesday.
As a result of the positive test, Benbrook will spray for mosquitoes Thursday night within a half-mile radius of the 8200 block of Circle S Road, between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. Friday, according to a news release from the city.
The recent heavy rain in Tarrant County may disrupt the mosquito breeding process for the next several days, according to David Jefferson, environmental health manager with TCPH.
The type of mosquito that carries West Nile virus lays its eggs in stagnant water, and heavy rain disrupts pools of standing water, Jefferson told NBC DFW.
There has yet to be a human case of West Nile virus diagnosed in Tarrant County so far this year.
To best protect oneself, Jefferson highly recommends using bug spray with DEET.
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"The majority of the people that we run into, the West Nile virus cases, are not using repellent of any sort," Jefferson said.
