A second mosquito trap sample collected in the Brushy Creek Municipal Utility District, located in Williamson County, Texas, has tested positive for West Nile virus.
The Texas Department of State Health Services lab in Austin said on July 18 that lab results of a sample collected from a trap site near Cat Hollow Park at Liberty Walk Drive and O’Connor Drive on July 13 indicated a positive test, FOX 7 Austin reported.
The positive trap site is less than two miles from another West Nile virus-positive sample collected from a trap site near the Beck Preserve on Great Oaks Drive on July 7.
This testing is part of Williamson County and Cities Health District’s (WCCHD) Integrated Vector Management program. Signage has been posted as expanded trapping and larvicide water treatment in the area will continue, per the report.
Homeowners are urged to drain all sources of standing water in and around their property, as mosquitoes breed in standing water, needing as little as one teaspoon. Reducing sources of standing water subsequently reduces the number of places mosquitoes can lay their eggs and breed, FOX 7 reported.
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Mosquitoes breed in standing water, needing as little as one teaspoon, health officials said. (iStock)
Symptoms of West Nile virus infection can include fever, headache and body aches, a skin rash on the trunk of the body, and swollen lymph nodes. More severe symptoms, including for those age 50 and older and/or with compromised immune systems, include stiffness, disorientation, coma, tremors, vision loss, paralysis and, in rare cases, death.
The agency suggested an increase in international travel throughout summer could have led to an uptick in cases.
Fox News’ Melissa Rudy contributed to this report.