The gist
According to an Oct. 11 city news release, the positives came from mosquito pools located:
- Near the North County Road and Eldorado Parkway intersection
- Along Plantation Lane near White Rock Creek
A pool positive means mosquitos in the pool were tested and confirmed to be carrying the virus. There have been no confirmed positive human cases in Frisco this year reported to the Texas Department of State Health Services, according to the release.
In response to the new pool positives, a third-party contractor was scheduled to spray the areas surrounding the positives with an adulticide—a mosquito-specific insecticide—overnight Oct. 12-13.
Adulticide is sprayed by specialized trucks in a one-mile radius around the pool identified in the positive test. Spraying takes the form of a mist or fog and is harmless to pets and humans when done correctly, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Zooming in
Frisco’s third-party contractors test mosquito pools regularly during mosquito season, which runs from May-November, and then coordinates with the city and Collin and Denton County if there are any positives.
Results are uploaded to Frisco’s mosquito surveillance map, a public database that has recorded all West Nile positives and spraying areas since 2018.
Something to note
While the Plantation Lane pool positive is not the pool’s first positive this season, it is the first time the surrounding area will be sprayed. The pool had one of the city’s first reported positives for the 2024 mosquito season and did see increased surveillance efforts in compliance with the city’s Mosquito Surveillance and Response Plan.
Going forward
The Texas Department of State Health Services recommends residents take precaution against mosquitos with the following steps:
- Wear long sleeves and pants outside at dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are most active.
- Use insect repellants if outside. Approved repellents contain DEET, picaridin or oil of lemon eucalyptus.
- Drain standing water that collects in bird baths, French drains, clogged gutters, saucers under potted plants and splash blocks. The mosquitoes that carry the virus can breed in as little as 1-2 teaspoons of standing water, according to the Denton County Public Health website.
