BAY POINT, CA – JULY 21: Contra Costa County Mosquito and Vector Control District technician Josefa Cabada holds a container with mosquito larvae that were found in a retention pond on July 21, 2015 in Bay Point, California. As California endures its fourth straight year of severe drought, public health department officials are seeing a spread in West Nile Virus activity across the state due to lower levels of water flowing through urban drains that provides fertile breeding conditions for mosquitos. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Tarrant County Public Health reported Thursday the first human case of West Nile virus in the county this year is a Fort Worth resident over the age of 65.
The Fort Worth resident contracted West Nile neuroinvasive disease and was discharged from the hospital.
TCPH did not release any other details to protect patient confidentiality.
Last year, Tarrant County reported 43 human cases of West Nile as well as five deaths from the virus. The first case came on July 21 in 2020.
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The announcement of the first human case of West Nile in Tarrant County comes just one day after the fourth human case in Dallas County and the first human case in Denton County were reported.
Dallas County reported its county's first death this year in a resident who contracted West Nile virus on Aug. 9.
TCPH recommended taking the following steps to safeguard against West Nile virus: dumping standing water, using EPA-approved insect repellent and dressing in long sleeves and pants.
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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
