Lubbock Health Department warns about detected West Nile Virus in mosquito population

The Biological Threat Research Lab at Texas Tech University has notified the Lubbock Health Department that mosquitoes carrying West Nile Virus are active in Lubbock County.

This comes right before the Fourth of July holiday, with the public health department encouraging individuals to practice safety measures when outside. According to the health department, vector control spraying will increase within the community.

Residents can also request vector control for their neighborhoods at mylubbock.us/vector-control.

What is West Nile Virus?

According to the health department, West Nile is a disease of birds that humans are exposed to after a mosquito has fed on an infected bird.

Humans can only contract it from mosquitoes and cannot pass it to other humans.

What are the symptoms of West Nile Virus?

According to the health department, here are common symptoms:

• Headache.
• Fever.
• Muscle and joint aches.
• Nausea.
• Fatigue.

Symptoms involving the central nervous system can also develop, which include neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, and paralysis.

According to the health department, 80% of infected people show no symptoms, with most recovering on their own. Currently, there are no medications or vaccines to prevent or treat infection.

People over 50 years old and those with other health issues are at a higher risk of becoming seriously ill. If people have symptoms and suspect West Nile Virus infection, they should contact their healthcare provider.

Safety precautions

Individuals can take the following steps to prevent infection this holiday week and throughout summer:

• Wearing an EPA-registered insect repellant
• Covering up with long-sleeved shirts and long pants
• Keeping mosquitoes out of living areas by using air conditioning or intact window screens
• Limiting outdoor activities during peak mosquito times
• Dumping standing water around your home

Cases of West Nile in Lubbock

As of July 2, there have been no reported human West Nile infection cases in Lubbock.