CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — State health officials confirmed the first annual case of West Nile illness in Texas when they diagnosed a Brazos County resident on June 24.
The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) reported that the individual received a diagnosis of West Nile fever, which represents one of several illnesses that infected mosquitoes transmit to humans. DSHS Commissioner Dr. Jennifer A. Shuford emphasized that awareness serves as the first step in prevention.
“Texans should understand that mosquitoes carry disease, and some of these illnesses, like West Nile and dengue, can prove severe,” Shuford said. “However, people can take steps to prevent mosquito bites and eliminate mosquito breeding areas around their homes as proactive measures that reduce the risk of mosquito-borne illness.”
DSHS reports that approximately 80% of people who encounter the West Nile virus do not develop symptoms. Those who do may experience fever, nausea, headache, fatigue, and muscle or joint pain. In rare cases—fewer than 1%—the virus can progress to neuroinvasive disease, which targets the nervous system and may cause disorientation, neck stiffness, tremors, paralysis, convulsions, or death.
DSHS encourages individuals experiencing symptoms to consult their health care provider and mention any recent mosquito exposure.
To reduce the risk of infection, health officials urge Texans to take the following precautions:
- Wear long sleeves and pants to minimize skin exposure.
- Use EPA-registered insect repellents containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus, para-menthane-diol, or 2-undecanone.
- Keep mosquitoes out by closing doors and windows or using screens.
- Remove standing water from items such as toys, tires, trash cans, buckets, rain gutters, and plant pots to prevent mosquito breeding.
Additional prevention tips include changing pet dish water daily, refreshing bird baths and wading pools several times per week, using larvicide mosquito dunks in water sources that cannot be drained, and maintaining chlorinated backyard pools and hot tubs. People may also consider treating their homes and vegetation with insecticides when mosquito activity runs high.
How to protect against mosquito bites and prevent mosquito breeding:
- Wear long sleeves and pants
- Apply insect repellent
- Keep doors and windows closed or install window screens to keep mosquitoes out
- Remove standing water where mosquitoes lay their eggs, such as in toys, tires, trash cans, buckets, plant pots and clogged rain gutters
- Change water in pet dishes daily
- Rinse and scrub vases and other indoor water containers weekly
- Change water in bird baths and wading pools several times a week
- Use mosquito dunks with larvacide in any water that can’t be emptied or covered
- Keep pools and hot tubs properly chlorinated and debris-free
- Treat front and back door areas with residual insecticides if mosquitoes are in abundance nearby
- Consider pesticide applications for vegetation around the home if problems persist
Texas recorded 455 West Nile cases and 56 related deaths in 2024. The state has reported 929 cases and 122 deaths over the past five years. Texas also documented 241 dengue cases last year, including two cases that people acquired locally.
Mosquito season in Texas typically extends through November and even into December in some regions.
