Health officials tell NewsChannel 11 the West Nile Season is well underway but so far, no sign of the disease, at least not in our area. But they expect to find it soon and say prevention is the key to protecting yourself. DEET has been a recommended chemical to use to protect yourself from mosquitoes but recently the CDC added Picaridin to the list.
Tigi Ward, Public Health Coordinator with the Lubbock Health Department says the best way to protect yourself of course is to wear repellent anytime you're outdoors. Again, health officials say there is no West Nile in our area yet, but other places in Texas, like the Fort Worth area have tested positive for the disease. The health department tests mosquitoes weekly for West Nile in this area.
"We do expect some mosquito pools to test positive at some point in time we just don't know when," explains Ward. According to the CDC, last year there were 176 human cases of West Nile in Texas. So far there are no cases this year.
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