Environment
BY ALEX REECE
As ‘mosquito season’ ends, experts recommend continuing prevention
Mosquito testing process example
A third party traps a group of around 50 mosquitoes and sends them to their respective county for testing
areas that experience warmer weather in the fall and winter months, something many Texans are especially familiar with, the breeding season for mosquitoes can become longer. Milam said he has trapped virus-positive mos- quitoes as late as the week of Thanksgiving. Also of note Mosquito surveillance reporting is voluntary but human cases of West Nile virus must be reported by law, said Grace Powers, an epidemiologist with Collin County Health Care Services, in an email. A human West Nile virus positive could come from someone experiencing symptoms and goes to a doctor for testing, or from someone experi- encing no symptoms but is tested anyway. A positive mosquito pool or a confirmed human positive can set off spraying, Milam said. Spraying involves trucks, sometimes referred to as fogging trucks, spraying an insecticide mist in a one-mile radius of a positive to kill nearby mosquitoes that could carry the virus. The process is typically done overnight and is considered harmless to humans and pets when done correctly, but McKinney’s mosquito control website recommends residents and their pets stay inside to be safe. Before you go Here are some of the Texas Department of State Health Services’ mosquito precaution recommendations: • Wear long sleeves and pants outside at dawn and dusk when mosquitos are most active
As temperatures drop, so do the number of mosquitoes and the risk for the diseases they carry, including West Nile virus. Even with the lower risk, the best practice is to keep up with preventative measures, health officials said. The big picture A typical “mosquito season” runs May-Novem- ber because those are the months that consistently see mosquito-friendly temperatures of above 50 degrees Fahrenheit, said Richard Milam, health compliance manager for the city of McKinney. “[The end of mosquito season] is not a day on the calendar you can look for,” Milam said. “It’s more about the temperatures. What we’re looking for to knock down the mosquito population is temperatures to be consistently in the mid- to low- er-fifties overnight, that really drops the mosquito population down.” As of Nov. 1, McKinney officials have reported more than 30 pools including West Nile virus-pos- itive mosquitoes, including multiple repeat locations. A mosquito pool is a group of around 50 trapped mosquitoes collected from across the city. The mosquitoes are then sorted by species and sent off for testing at county and state health ser- vice departments, which then report their findings back to the city that supplied the mosquitoes. Diving deeper West Nile virus is more common in warmer months but has the potential to be a year-round risk, according to a statement on the Texas Department of State Health Services’ website. For
Mosquitoes are tested and if any test positive for WNV, the county informs the city
City begins spraying insecticide to kill the virus positive mosquitoes or increases surveillance
West Nile virus reporting process example
A resident tests positive for WNV or a prospective blood donor tries to donate and their blood is revealed to be WNV-positive
WNV-positive blood is destroyed and the county health department is informed about either scenario’s positive within 24 hours
County informs city where the donor or resident lives
SOURCE: CARTER BLOODCARE, CITY OF MCKINNEY, COLLIN COUNTY HEALTH CARE SERVICES/COMMUNITY IMPACT
• Use insect repellents containing DEET, picaridin or oil of lemon eucalyptus if outside • Drain any standing water
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