Tarrant County Public Health is advising residents to take extra care as West Nile virus cases increase across the county.
Public Health Director Vinny Taneja said precautions against WNV are particularly important during the population’s current pandemic.
“It’s prudent to stay focused on protecting against COVID-19, and although mosquitoes do not carry the COVID-19 virus, we don’t want to minimize the dangers of West Nile right now,” Taneja said.
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Taneja went along to say the symptoms are similar and since it can be hard to tell the difference, he encouraged residents to see a doctor if they experience fever, cough, or sore throat.
“We want to remind everyone to protect themselves against mosquitoes by wearing long sleeves and pants and using repellents when outside,” Taneja said.
According to Tarrant County Vector Control Supervisor Nina Dacko, most of the positive mosquito results have been in northeast Tarrant County.
“In 2018 and 2019, the number of positive mosquito pool samples were very low, which is cause for concern this summer,” Dacko said.
Dacko went on to say, “Environmental factors are ripe for the virus to make a big comeback and recent rains also allow more mosquitoes to thrive in hot weather like Texas is experiencing right now.”
