Another mosquito trap in Taylor tests positive for West Nile virus

TAYLOR, Texas (KXAN) — A mosquito trap in Taylor, Texas tested positive for West Nile virus. This is the second positive sample taken in Taylor so far this month.

The city posted on Facebook Tuesday that the Williamson County Cities and Health District (WCCHD) notified the city that a second mosquito trap sample had tested positive for the virus.

The positive sample was taken from a trap site near East Third Street and Washburn Street on July 9, according to the post. The previous positive sample was taken at a trap site near North Drive and T.H. Johnson on July 2.

The city said it is currently working with WCCHD to schedule a time for mosquito spraying and will update the public when a date is scheduled

According to the City of Taylor’s website , since testing began for the 2024 season, seven mosquito samples have tested positive for West Nile virus across Williamson County. In 2023, there were 35 mosquito trap samples that returned positive samples for West Nile virus in the county.

There was one human case of West Nile virus reported in Williamson County in 2023.

West Nile prevention

Know the dangers and fight the bite with the “four Ds”:

• Drain standing water: Mosquitoes breed in standing water and need as little as one teaspoon of water. Emptying water that accumulates in toys, tires, trash cans, buckets, clogged rain gutters and plant pots will eliminate places for mosquitoes to lay eggs and reproduce.
• Dusk to dawn : Although different species of mosquitoes are active at different times of day, the Culex mosquito that spreads West Nile virus is most active between dusk and dawn.
• Dress : Wear pants and long sleeves when you are outside. Wear light-colored, loose-fitting clothing; mosquito-repellent clothing is also available.
• DEET : Apply insect repellant: Use an EPA-registered repellent such as those containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus, para-menthane-diol or 2-undecanone. Apply on both exposed skin and clothing.

Signs and symptoms

West Nile virus is commonly spread through mosquito bites and is not spread through coughing, sneezing or touching infected people or animals. It is the most common mosquito-borne disease in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Approximately one in five people infected with West Nile virus develop symptoms such as:

• Headache
• Body aches
• Joint pains
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Rash

Of those infected, few can develop serious illness affecting the central nervous system. People over 60 years of age, persons with medical conditions such as cancer, diabetes, hypertension or kidney disease and immunocompromised individuals, such as organ transplant recipients, are at greater risk of developing serious disease.

Resources online to help

Testing sites can be tracked and can be seen with the latest cases reported in Williamson County on a dashboard online. The City of Taylor has more information on its website as well.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) also has a website that can track it across the U.S. , as well as here in Texas.

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