Harris County public health officials have confirmed the first sample of West Nile virus for the 2020 season from mosquitos in northwest Harris County, according to a June 10 press release.
The diseased mosquitos were first found June 9 by the Harris County Public Health Mosquito Vector and Control Division. The specific location of the mosquitos was not announced, but they are within a geographical area south of Cypress Creek, north of FM 1960 and west of Hwy. 249. The area is now being treated to reduce the risk of human infection.
Residents are at risk of contracting West Nile virus mainly during summer months, and the virus spreads most commonly by mosquito bite. Around 80% of people infected will not develop illness, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. Symptoms typically include fever, headache, body aches, and occasionally a skin rash and swollen lymph glands.
Symptoms usually last a few days, and individuals tend to recover on their own, according to the DSHS. About 1 in 150 infected people develop a more severe form of the disease called West Nile neuroinvasive disease, which can affect the brain and spinal cord. In 2019, the state recorded 32 total cases in humans across in five counties, including Harris County. That data is provisional, and the total cases from 2019 may be higher. The state recorded 146 cases in humans in 2018, 11 of whom died.
