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1. How long has West Nile Virus been in Denton County?

Denton County reported its first case of West Nile Virus in 2002.

2. What is the County’s role during the 2013 West Nile Virus season?

During and after the 2012 West Nile virus season, Denton County Health Department (DCHD) immediately started working on plans for the 2013 season. The goal was to continue with what was done well and take lessons learned from 2012 to make improvements next year. Denton County’s plans include:

• DCHD developed a Vector Control Plan based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) standards. Within the plan are Risk Levels, which indicate actions that will be considered at each particular level.
• Plans were put into place to begin testing in unincorporated areas of the county. Mosquito traps were purchased, Environmental Health employees have been trained, and the Health Department arranged to have mosquitoes shipped and tested by the state (DSHS) lab. This testing will begin on May 1, 2013. DCHD will also ship mosquitoes from municipality traps if the municipality has no means to test.
• Volunteers from Denton County Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) and Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) will be deployed to conduct educational presentations and outreach, both as a prevention measure, and if positive mosquito pools are found in unincorporated areas with a high population density.
• DCHD hosted a WNV Partner meeting in February and invited all municipalities in Denton County to discuss information sharing, and improve communication.
• New education materials were developed based on feedback and frequently asked questions from 2012. More emphasis will be placed on "source reduction" in 2013.
• DCHD’s West Nile virus website has been redesigned to make it more "user friendly." Visit Denton County’s website.

3. How does Denton County Health Department investigate a case of West Nile Virus?

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.

4. What is my city/town’s role during West Nile Virus season?

Each municipality (city or town) in Denton County set up its own mosquito control program. Please contact your municipality to find out what program they have established. The Denton County Health Department is responsible for the unincorporated areas of Denton County.