West Nile case confirmed in area
08:24 AM CDT on Tuesday, June 3, 2008
It’s West Nile season, already.
On Monday, the Denton County Health Department reported that the first case of West Nile virus this year had been confirmed in Flower Mound, said Betsy Haggard, department spokeswoman. It was the second case in the state.
Residents can take precautions to reduce their chances of getting sick from the mosquito-borne West Nile virus by remembering the four D’s: drain, dress, DEET and dusk/dawn.
Residents should:
• Drain standing water around their homes to reduce mosquito hatching grounds.
• Dress in pants and long sleeves when outside in mosquito-infested areas, but avoid becoming too hot.
• Apply an insect repellent that contains DEET (N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide) to exposed skin and to clothing when outdoors.
• Stay indoors at dusk and dawn, when mosquitoes are most active.
The person was diagnosed with West Nile fever, the less serious of the two forms of the virus, and they have already been treated.
Flower Mound will begin spraying Thursday night to reduce the chances of the virus.
No other cities have planned spraying, Haggard said.
“Normally, we see cases starting in July,” she said. “We don’t normally see them on June 1.”
The health department’s chief epidemiologist Dr. Jessica Guillon said the early case doesn’t necessarily indicate an unusually heavy mosquito season, and if it did, less than 1 percent of mosquitoes carry the virus.
The mosquito-borne virus develops into either West Nile fever or neuroinvasive disease, but four out of five people infected develop no symptoms at all, Haggard said.
West Nile fever can last as short as a few days or as long as a few weeks with symptoms ranging from fever, headache and tiredness to body aches. Some people report skin rashes on their chest, Haggard said.
Less than 1 percent of those infected develop neuroinvasive disease.
The symptoms include headaches, high fever, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness and paralysis.
People older than age 50 and those with compromised immune systems are more at risk for getting severely ill with West Nile.
Flower Mound will conduct spraying operations in the areas generally located south of Justin Road to College Parkway and east from Long Prairie Road to Timber Creek Road from 10 p.m. Thursday through 4 a.m. Friday.
DAN X. McGRAW can be reached at 940-566-6875. His e-mail address is dmcgraw@dentonrc.com .
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