Today, the City of El Paso Department of Public Health received its second confirmed case of West Nile virus for the year. The patient, who is recovering, is a man in his mid-20’s who lives in Central El Paso.
Additionally, two mosquito traps in the Mission Valley have tested positive for West Nile virus.
“This new case and new positive mosquito pools are a reminder that mosquitoes are active and we can say for sure, some of them have the potential to spread disease,” said Fernando Gonzalez, Lead Epidemiologist.
With the Zika virus now being spread locally in Florida, and with other mosquito-borne disease threats, the Health Department continues to recommend mosquito bite prevention tips. The recommendations are:
- Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants
- Drain standing water both inside and outside your home
- Stay in cool places with air conditioning and window and door screens to keep mosquitoes outside
- Use Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered insect repellents with one of the following active ingredients: DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus, or para-menthane-diol (Do not use insect repellent on babies younger than 2 months old)
- More information is available at www.EPHealth.com under the Zika Virus page
To report standing water or other mosquito breeding sites, call the Environmental Services Department Vector Control Program at 3-1-1.
