Case investigations are an everyday job function at the Health Department, and our investigation procedures are dictated by DSHS and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). There are 78 diseases that health care providers are required to report to their county health department, and the West Nile Virus is one of them. If a case is reported, the Health Department will then investigate, and will contact the patient and/or health care provider if necessary.
In some cases, contact with DSHS is necessary for clarification before a case can be ruled out or confirmed as West Nile Virus. If a case is confirmed, Denton County Health Department contacts the city of residency first as a courtesy. No patient information is ever released, in order to protect the patient’s privacy. The main source of current Denton County case information is on our West Nile Virus page.