DSHS Hosts West Nile Events in East Texas

EAST TEXAS — The Texas Department of State Health Services is hosting events in Lufkin and Tyler to educate the public about West Nile virus. The events will include information from state and local officials about the disease, prevention efforts, and mosquito control, and will include question-and-answer sessions. Texas recently confirmed its first case of West Nile illness of the season, an adult male from Anderson County. Last year Texas reported 1,868 human cases of West Nile illness, including 89 deaths.

Lufkin Event
10 a.m. May 30
Angelina County and Cities Health District
503 Hill St, Lufkin

Tyler Event
2 p.m. May 30
UT Health Northeast
Hudnall Auditorium
11937 U.S. Highway 271, Tyler

The events will be held in partnership with the Northeast Texas Public Health District, the Angelina County and Cities Health District, and the Texas A&M University Department of Entomology.

According to officials, the intensity of West Nile virus activity in Texas fluctuates from year to year and depends on a variety of factors including the weather, the numbers of birds and mosquitoes that maintain and spread the virus and human behavior. DSHS is urging people to take precautions to reduce the risk of contracting the virus:

* Use an approved insect repellent every time you go outside and follow the instructions on the label. Among the EPA-approved repellents are those that contain DEET, picaridin, IR3535 or oil of lemon eucalyptus.
* Regularly drain standing water, including water collecting in empty cans, tires, buckets, clogged rain gutters and saucers under potted plants. Mosquitoes that spread WNV breed in stagnant water.
* Wear long sleeves and pants at dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are most active.
* Use air conditioning or make sure there are screens on all doors and windows to keep mosquitoes from entering the home.