EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – There are five West Nile Virus cases in the Borderland and officials urge for El Pasoans to take prevention.
City health officials told KTSM eight out of 10 people are infected with the virus and will not develop symptoms.
“West Nile is one of those viruses that is transmitted by mosquito,” City County Health Authority Dr. Hector Ocaranza said.
Health officials said they just want the community to be aware and take precautions to prevent getting bit by mosquitoes.
Officials said symptoms are related to the flu.
“Then there are some symptoms where it can be a lot more dangerous,” Sarah Watkins, from the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso said.
Dr. Ocaranza said some of the ways to prevent mosquito bites are by using the four D’s:
Deet
Dress
Dusk&Dawn
Drain
“It means that you can wear pants and you can wear long-sleeved shirts. That’s the way that you are going to be preventing the mosquitoes from biting you or exposing your skin to mosquito bites. The next one is going to be draining stagnant water. The last but not least, using insect repellent,” Dr. Ocaranza said.
The virus can be more dangerous for young children under one, elderly and those who are immunopurified.
“They are going to be living with us the same as COVID, and the same as flu, the same as some other viral diseases with a global traveling; With the way that we do things nowadays” Dr. Ocaranza.
Read: Read More