The details
According to the release, the positive tests came from mosquito pools located:
- Near the intersection of North County Road and Eldorado Parkway
- Near Oakbrook Park
In response to the new positives, the city’s third-party contractor will spray a mosquito insecticide known as adulticide in the area surrounding the pools to kill the virus-carrying mosquitoes.
Adulticide takes the form of a mist or fog and is sprayed by specialized trucks in a 1-mile radius of the positive test results. The spraying is harmless to pets and humans when done correctly, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Zooming in
The pool positives bring the city’s total for the 2024 mosquito season to 28.
A pool positive means mosquitos at the location were captured, tested and confirmed to be carrying the virus. Frisco’s mosquito pools are tested weekly during mosquito season, which typically runs from May-November.
Both of the mosquito pools identified in the Oct. 25 news release have tested positive multiple times.
The pool near North County Road has been identified as a source of West Nile virus-positive mosquitoes three times. Oakbrook Park was one of the city’s first West Nile pool positives of the season in early August and has tested positive for the virus five times.
Frisco tracks its West Nile virus cases through a public mosquito surveillance map, which has recorded the city’s West Nile positives and spray areas since 2018.
Major takeaways
There have been no confirmed human cases of West Nile virus in Frisco this year, according to the release. However, other Denton County cities, including Flower Mound, have reported human cases.
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 any standing water from 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.
