While Denton County has had a calm mosquito season so far, recent discoveries have prompted health officials to tweak response plans.
Those plans were presented to the Commissioners Court on Tuesday morning by Denton County Health Director Matt Richardson and are also available online on the county’s website. They outline how Denton County plans to keep residents safe and informed as it monitors and responds to West Nile virus and the presence of Chikungunya virus-carrying mosquitoes.
“The plan was already in place, but I do think as the situation has changed between West Nile and Chick-V, it’s under constant revision,” Richardson said. “That’s one of the reasons I wanted to present it to court, wanted them to understand the recommendations we have made or will make particular to the situation in Denton County.”
The Denton County Vector Infectious Disease Control Plan is designed to give a framework for responding to disease-carrying mosquitoes. Richardson said the mosquito season starts at Level 1 with health officials looking for infected mosquitoes and using insecticides targeting mosquito larvae.
The other levels are a stairstep approach in response to positive mosquito pools or positive cases in humans.
If any mosquito pools or humans test positive for mosquito-borne disease, the plan’s other levels ramp up the county’s response.
Ground spraying took place recently in the northern Lantana area and east of Oak Point after mosquito pools tested positive for West Nile virus.
Richardson said he expects to see cases of human infections soon.
“If history is a guide, and I think it is, these positive pools are looking to indicate positive activity in humans this week or next, which means we have to re-emphasize prevention,” he said. “The idea [that West Nile virus] does exist in mosquito pools in Denton County, we have to take steps to make sure we are not bitten.”
The season typically lasts from April through November, though it can start earlier if there is a warm, wet spring and can continue later in the year if temperatures stay warm.
The health department plan has already been working to the satisfaction of Commissioner Andy Eads. The Lantana area falls in Eads’ precinct.
“I think the county is doing a great job with our location of the mosquito traps, and the cities have done a great job of placing their traps as well,” he said. “We’re clearly not out of the woods yet for this season and anticipate more mosquitoes to be identified.”
Eads said vigilance throughout the season is required.
“And a real public information campaign for people to drain standing water is not just a nuisance issue, it’s a real life safety issue with the Chick-V virus and West Nile virus,” he said. “Our residents need to be [on guard] 24 hours a day between these two types of [infected] mosquitoes.”
BJ LEWIS can be reached at 940-566-6875 and via Twitter at @BjlewisDRC.
ON THE WEB
Denton County’s West Nile virus information: http://dentoncounty.com/wnv
