What You Need To Know About The West Nile Virus
City of Eagle Pass – Emergency Operations Center
The State of Texas currently has 465 cases of West Nile Virus infections, including 17 deaths. Maverick County is not within the list of counties affected, however, the City of Eagle Pass offers the following information and recommendations in order to maintain our community safe from this disease.
Up to 80 percent of people infected with this virus will have no symptoms and will recover on their own. People over 50 and those with weakened immune systems are at a higher risk of becoming ill if they become infected. 20% of people who become infected will have mild symptoms such as fever, headache, body aches, and occasionally a skin rash on the trunk of the body and swollen lymph glands. Symptoms of severe infection include headache, high fever, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, and paralysis. Less than 1% of those bitten by infected mosquitoes become severely ill. If you have the symptoms mentioned above, contact your doctor immediately.
West Nile virus is a mosquito-borne illness and currently there is no vaccine for the virus. Preventing mosquito bites is the best way to avoid becoming infected. Protect yourself from mosquito bites by:
Staying indoors at dusk and dawn. This is the time of day when mosquitoes are most active.
Dressing in long sleeves/pants, loose and light-colored clothing when outdoors.
Using an insect repellent that contains DEET, Picaridin, or Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus. Follow label instructions.
Draining stagnant water in your yard and neighborhood to prevent the breeding of mosquitoes.
At the present time, the City of Eagle Pass is treating stagnant water only. We will monitor the presence of mosquitoes and conduct spraying operations accordingly.
For more information on the West Nile Virus, please visit the webpages of the Texas Department of State Health Services at www.dshs.state.tx.us and the Centers for Disease Control at www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/.
