County testing mosquitoes for West Nile virus

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Officials are using a surveillance system to trap and test mosquitoes for West Nile virus — a potentially fatal pathogen. Courtesy photo

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August 25, 2012

County testing mosquitoes for West Nile virus

By GREG RUSSELL, Register Staff Writer Gainesville Daily Register The Daily Register Sat Aug 25, 2012, 03:49 PM CDT

Cooke County — Officials have confirmed that the number of West Nile virus cases in Cooke County has increased from two to three.

An article published in the Register last week reported that two cases of West Nile virus had been confirmed in Cooke County.

This sudden jump of West Nile cases has had far more serious impact in Denton and Dallas counties where 407 cases have been confirmed. This is the stimulus behind a new series of mosquito tests that county and city officials are working to conduct through Tarrant County resources.

“In trying to address all the concerns, we are working on establishing a surveillance program where we trap and test mosquitoes throughout the county,” Emergency Manager Ray Fletcher said Friday. “We hope to have that in place within two weeks.”

Officials will conduct the viral testing by way of “gravid” units: plastic basins filled with a chemical that attracts and traps mosquitoes. Test results are expected to turn around within two days.

“We’ll just assume they’re out there, and act accordingly,” Fletcher said.

But as he explained in a story published Aug. 17, Fletcher said Friday that the confirmed West Nile cases within county limits are not dangerous or life-threatening, just as 80 percent of the cases aren’t, and that they may not have started in the immediate area.

“The state was able to provide us with the very basic location of our cases,” he said. “It doesn’t appear to be a cluster, and they are from very distinct and different zip code areas. We don’t appear to have a grouping and we don’t know where the ones who have it contracted it.”

Local mosquito prevention continues. Muenster city officials conducted a spraying session Friday night, and Lindsay officials have been attentive to areas of standing water where virus-carrying bugs may proliferate.

Gainesville Community Director John Noblitt confirmed Friday that mosquito spraying in Gainesville begins again during the overnight hours of Thursday, Aug. 30, and this session follows two recent overnight “vector control” sprays.

And Fletcher added that the peak season for mosquitoes is always August and September, and so the situation is common, even if the viral aspect is causing extra problems.

“It doesn’t go away until they’re killed off by frost and freezing,” he said. “I’d say that October is probably on the downside.”

The Denton County Health Department has confirmed its second West Nile virus-associated death for 2012.

The patient who was in her eighties, had underlying health conditions.

She resided in the city of Carrollton and had been hospitalized since Aug. 12, said Denton County Health Department Director Bing Burton.

“We have been aware of the case for a while,” he said.

For patient confidentiality, no further information was released by county officials.

Burton said in addition news of the death there has been one additional confirmed case of West Nile virus in Flower Mound. Burton said there are a number of other cases pending, but no additional ones have been confirmed as West Nile virus.

— Information from the Denton Record Chronicle contributed to this report.