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Courtesy Xochitl Mora,

Laredo, TX – – The City of Laredo Health Department (CLHD) is urging the public to continue to clean their gardens, lots, businesses and get rid of standing water to prevent vector borne diseases such as West Nile and Dengue Fever as well other vectors. Last week, the first human case of West Nile virus was confirmed in a local resident, Laredo had not had a positive case since 2008.  In an effort to keep the community healthy, the City Of Laredo continues to keep the right of ways clean, and is asking residents, businesses and industry to do their part by getting rid of trash, standing water, cleaning their yards and reporting any illegal dumping of solid waste especially tires and trash.  Mosquitoes usually acquire the virus from dead birds and can spread the virus to humans.  Dengue Fever, West Nile Virus and other vectors can cause severe disease in the very young, elderly and those that have underlying medical conditions.

 To protect yourself and reduce the risk of disease, please follow these recommendations:

·         Eliminate stagnant water in discarded artificial containers.

• At least once or twice a week, empty water from flower pots, pet food and water dishes, birdbaths, swimming pool covers, buckets, barrels, and cans.
• Check for clogged rain gutters and clean them out.
• Check your sprinkler systems for leaks to prevent over watering.
• Chlorinate pools daily and run the pump for at lease 4 hours.
• Be sure to check for containers or trash under bushes or under your home.
• Tires should be placed in  dry covered areas, such as a sheds, garages, etc.,
• Discarded old tires should be disposed of properly at the city landfill.
• Dispose and cover all trash appropriately.
• Clean yards, cut grass, prune bushes and hedges and get rid of all trash and waste.

 Protect yourself from mosquito bites:

·         Apply insect repellent to exposed skin. 

·         Spray clothing with repellents containing permethrin or “DEET” since mosquitoes may bite through thin clothing. 

• Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants whenever you are outdoors.
• Place mosquito netting over infant carriers when you are outdoors with infants.
• Consider staying indoors at dawn, dusk, and in the early evening, which are peak mosquito biting times.  DO NOT SLEEP OUTDOORS !!! 
• Install or repair window and door screens so that mosquitoes cannot get indoors.

 The CLHD will continue to conduct the following:

·         Spray the city and county in the public right a ways 3-4 months.

• Larvacide standing bodies of water.
• Release minnows as a larvae reducing effort.
• Enforce local laws to ensure sanitation and solid waste compliance.
• Provide Health Promotion on sanitation.

Symptoms of Dengue and West Nile virus include headache, fever, neck discomfort, muscle and joint aches, swollen lymph nodes and rash. People with compromised immune systems or other underlying conditions are at greater risk for complications from the disease. In rare cases, West Nile Virus can cause encephalitis — inflammation of the brain — or meningitis — inflammation of the spinal cord and lining of the brain.

For more information please contact the City of Laredo Health Department’s Environmental Health Division at (956) 795-4904 or Dr. Zaida Gonzalez, Health Educator Supervisor, at (956) 795-4918.