The number of West Nile virus cases in Randall County doubled from Wednesday to Thursday, and the county is taking action.
“We’re taking it very seriously,” County Judge Ernie Houdashell said. “We’re planning on spraying stagnant water areas.”
The Texas Department of Health Services reported Wednesday five people in the county had contracted the virus. Two are the mild version and three are the more serious, neuroinvasive version. Also, one horse died Monday from the disease, and another is infected.
By late Thursday, that total had risen to 10, said Matt Richardson, public health director for the city of Amarillo.
The breakdown of serious versus mild was not immediately available.
“The good news is there are no reported fatalities,” Richardson said.
There have been no reported cases in Potter County.
Across the state, there have been 894 West Nile cases reported this year. About half are the serious type. There have been 34 deaths, mostly in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, according to Health Services.
The county has arranged for some mosquitoes caught Wednesday night to be tested for the disease.
“We don’t know the results,” Houdashell said.
The area with the most reported impact is west of Interstate 27 and south of McCormick Road, he said. But there might be people with the disease that don’t know it yet.
“Up to 80 percent of people infected with West Nile virus will have no symptoms and will recover on their own. However, some cases can cause serious illness or death,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. “People over 50 and those with weakened immune systems are at a higher risk of becoming ill if they become infected with the virus.”
It takes three to 14 days for symptoms to appear. There is no specific treatment, according to the CDC.
After the Aug. 20 rains, the city began spraying standing water. It uses larvicide to kill the developing mosquito before it becomes a flying insect.
“Other than a few perennial areas, all that water has dried up,” City Manager Jarrett Atkinson said.
Crews sprayed some of the remaining standing water on Thursday. “We have not seen the problems they’ve seen around the state,” Atkinson said. “Yesterday we had four mosquito complaint calls.”
The neuroinvasive version of West Nile can cause high fever, neck stiffness, headaches, disorientation, convulsions, muscle weakness and paralysis, according to the state health department’s website. The milder form causes fever, aches and sometimes a skin rash and swollen lymph glands.
Edited By Cen Fox Post Team
