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West Nile strikes again in Rowlett
By Kenny Green, kgreen@starlocalnews.com
Dallas County will spray an area of Rowlett today to control the spread of infected mosquitos carrying the West Nile Virus. Two confirmed human case of West Nile Virus Disease have been reported by the Dallas County Health Department to Rowlett city officials. The two confirmed case were located near the intersection of Main Street and Skyline Drive. This is the second and third confirmed human cases in Rowlett this year. Dallas County is seeing record numbers of infected mosquitos this year as well.
“I don’t believe we have had this many before. We have had one to two confirmed cases in the past. Last year we didn’t have any confirmed human cases,” said Joe Tilger, environmental health manager for the city of Rowlett. “North Texas is experiencing a large number of West Nile cases this year. It is most likely due to the heavy rains and light winter.”
As a result of the most recent infections, Dallas County will be spraying the general area where the infections occurred. The spraying will take place during between 10 p.m. and 3a.m. beginning tonight, weather conditions permitting.
Additional mosquito inspections will continue over the next few weeks. Residents who live in the affected area should stay indoors and avoid contact with the insecticide. Those who might come in direct contact should wash with soap and water. Motorists who pass spray trucks should remain in their vehicles with the windows up and the air conditioner off until the insecticide dissipates.
The city is spreading the word by putting our press releases and making information available through its website.
Fish ponds should be protected and pets should be brought indoors. Dallas County Health officials are working with the city of Rowlett to minimize the risk of residents of contracting mosquito borne diseases through education, inspections and abatement activities. Residents are urged to inspect their own property for standing water such as clogged roof gutters, potted plants, birdbaths, French drains or other containers that may catch and hold water for several days.
“The community service division takes reports and complaints about cases of standing water. When we have an instance like the two cases in close proximity I went door to door letting people know what was going on and offering to do outdoor inspections of their property,” Tilger said. “We really are encouraging people to check their property for anything that may collect water and encourage mosquito breeding. Anything that can catch water really needs to be checked.”
For information on West Nile disease or mosquito breeding, contact the Dallas County Health Department at 214-819-2115 or at www.dallascounty.org.
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