MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Texas — A Montgomery County woman is in the hospital with the West Nile virus, the public health district there reported Thursday.
They say it's the first human case in the 2021 season. The woman lives in the 77365 ZIP code.
The Montgomery County Public Health District suspects the virus also caused the death of a man in his 80s, but test results are pending. He lived in the 77382 ZIP code.
Editor's note: The video above originally aired on July 15.
Tips to avoid West Nile virus
Dozens of mosquitos in Montgomery County have tested positive for West Nile this summer.
Mosquito control teams set hundreds of traps every week to test them for the virus.
The Texas Department of State Health Services recommends practicing the "Four Ds" as precautionary measures:
- Use insect repellent containing DEET, picaridin or oil of lemon eucalyptus.
- Dress in long sleeves and long pants when you are outside.
- Stay indoors at dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active.
- Drain standing water where mosquitoes breed. Common breeding sites include old tires, flowerpots and clogged rain gutters.
What happens if you get West Nile?
Most people infected with the West Nile virus show no symptoms. Approximately twenty percent of infected people develop a fever and experience other flu-like symptoms.
A very small number may develop a more severe version of the illness that affects the nervous system, resulting in neurological symptoms.
People over the age of 60 and those with certain medical conditions are more susceptible to this severe form of the illness. Please visit cdc.gov/westnile for more information about the virus.
Where does the West Nile virus come from?
The West Nile virus primarily lives in the local bird population and is transmitted to humans via mosquito bite. The southern house -- or Culex -- mosquito is the primary spreader of the disease in the Houston area.
For information on Commissioner James Noack’s Mosquito Abatement Department visit https://www.precinct3.org/mosquito-abatement/.