HOUSTON – Harris County Public Health said people need to know the department has found evidence of disease in our community and now is the time to protect yourself.
Dr. Max Vigilant from the Mosquito and Vector Control Division said there’s proof local mosquitoes are infected with West Nile virus.
They’ve found the infected mosquitoes in West University, East Harris County, and The Woodlands. According to Vigilant, these areas are historically the first to detect the disease every season.
The only human infection so far this year has been in Montgomery County. Montgomery County said that the patient is home recovering.
Pediatrician Dr. Suma Manjunath with Kelsey-Seybold in Pearland said it’s possible people may get West Nile and not feel sick enough to see a doctor.
“A lot of them may be asymptomatic or very mildly symptomatic, so they may not even have the need to seek any kind of health care,” Dr. Manjunath said.
To protect yourself, use insect repellent approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with one of these ingredients:
- DEET
- Picaridin
- IR3535
- Oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE)
- Para-menthane-diol (PMD)
- 2-undecanone
They’re safe even for pregnant and breastfeeding women, according to the CDC. However, they warn about improper ways to use these repellents:
- Do not use products containing oil of lemon eucalyptus or para-menthane-diol on children under 3 years old.
- Do not apply insect repellent to a child’s hands, eyes, mouth, cuts, or irritated skin.
- Adults: Spray insect repellent onto your hands and then apply to a child’s face.
As for bracelets, patches and other wearable devices that use plant-based ingredients and promise to keep bugs away, they might be effective but not for long, said Dr. Manjunath.
“So definitely, the effective ones are the ones that have DEET, and the botanicals are not very effective,” she said. “Some botanical products they do not provide benefit greater than a few minutes only.”
Dr. Manjunath said you have to reapply bug spray just like you reapply sunscreen. The main thing to remember though is the sunscreen needs to go on first and then spray insect repellant.
Meanwhile, county health departments are spraying in the areas they’ve found West Nile. However, they ask for your help too.
“You know, a lot of folks collect water to take care of the plants and we encourage that! But you have an obligation too... protect yourself and we’ll take care of the larger part of the environment but if you help us at the house, we can do the rest,” Vigilant said.