HOUSTON — West Nile virus has been detected in several parts of the Houston area, including Harris County.
Harris County Public Health says they have found 59 samples of West Nile virus this year, most of them in mosquitoes and three in birds.
Only 30 samples were found last year.
Officials said populations are monitored every day in Harris County by the mosquito control team that sets up to 350 traps every week, pulling in thousands of mosquitoes. The mosquitoes die a very cold death in freezers, and then, they are sorted, one by one to find the specific breeds that carry virus.
Once sorted, they’re brought to a lab and liquefied into a sample. They’re then squirted onto a test plate, and the software helps to verify any 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.