Sounding the alarm for West Nile Virus Awareness

After several years of concerns about COVID-19, another illness is making people sick again this summer. It’s West Nile Virus.

One Dallas family is sounding an alarm for awareness, as Dallas County health officials confirm twice the number of cases compared with last year.

At Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas, the daughters of 95-year-old Carolyn Loy are taking turns at her side.

The normally active woman has been hospitalized for over a week receiving West Nile Virus care.

“And literally was out running some errands, not this past Saturday, but the one before that,” daughter Lewelen Empie said.

Public health people set traps to test mosquitoes for West Nile and so far this summer 180 traps from all around Dallas County have produced positive results for infected mosquitoes.

Seven human cases and one death so far this year compared with 3 human cases all of last year.

“We are seeing a double in human cases so far and this season is going to go on until the fall,” Dallas County Health Department spokesman Christian Grisales said.

Amid other public health information including the ongoing response to COVID-19, Dallas County Health Director Dr. Philip Huang shared West Nile Virus information with Dallas County Commissioners Tuesday.

“It’s definitely still out there, everyone’s main message, just do what you can to prevent mosquito bites, and of course draining the standing water,” Dr. Huang said.

In 2012, when Dallas County used aerial spraying from planes to combat infected mosquitoes, 19 people died and hundreds were ill.

In this dry summer, the problem of mosquitoes that breed in water is far less severe.

But the health experts still urge residents to take precautions, because infected mosquitos are ready to bite.

“This repellant contains Deet and this is the best protection against mosquito bites,” Grisales said.

Lewelen Empie said she spoke up because her mother’s case from the 75225 zip code area of North Dallas was not among those listed by Dallas County as positive human cases.

“My biggest concern was just getting the information out to people in our community that there are mosquitos out there that are carrying the West Nile virus,” she said.

The City of Dallas alone has issued 19 notices for West Nile Virus ground spraying so far this year, each including multiple locations that were targeted for treatment.

Other North Texas counties have also reported positive human cases and infected mosquitoes.