A third case of West Nile virus occurs in Bexar County, officials say

SAN ANTONIO — Bexar County authorities say another mosquito has tested positive for West Nile virus, making it the third case in the county in 2024.

Officials say the mosquito was found near Highway 90 and Cagnon Road.

The other two cases were found near a sewer near Glen Fair Drive in eastern Bexar County and near Highway 90 and Kriewald Road in western Bexar County.

While county officials said in their press release that they would increase their mosquito control efforts in the area and offered tips, KSAT 12 News wanted to learn more about the virus and spoke to a local epidemiologist about it.

The first question we asked UT Health Chief Epidemiologist Jason Bowling was about the virus and the severity of cases locally.

Bowling said the virus is a mosquito-borne, not human-borne, infectious disease, adding that Texas has the highest number of confirmed cases in the United States.

“In Texas, these cases are being diagnosed. They are particularly common in urban areas like Houston, Dallas and San Antonio,” Bowling said. “The number of cases varies from year to year, so there are usually multiple reports in Texas.”

Bowling added that about 80 percent of those infected do not know they have the virus or show symptoms. Twenty percent of those infected show only mild symptoms such as fever, chills, muscle aches and fatigue. A small percentage of those infected develop severe illness and that is why they worry about the virus.

Next, we asked Bowling about the clinic's protocol in case they had a patient who tested positive.

Bowling said since only 20% of people developed mild symptoms, it was rare for them to treat patients.

However, in severe cases, supportive care is offered, Bowling said, as there is no vaccine to treat the infection.

“One of the challenges with West Nile virus is that we don't have a vaccine, antiviral treatments or a pill that can help fight the infection,” Bowling said. “So fortunately, it's only a small percentage of patients who end up in the hospital. But for the few people who make it, we offer supportive care, observation and intravenous fluids if needed.”

Finally, we asked Bowling what preventative measures can be taken to prevent infection and how the county is helping to contain the West Nile virus.

He responded with several tips, including:

• Wear long-sleeved clothing

• Make sure there is no standing water outside your household

• Apply insect repellent containing DEET, which is found in most insect repellent sprays.

Regarding the county's mosquito control efforts, Bowling discussed details they mentioned in their press release.

The county's measures included fogging several areas, educating residents near the affected areas about preventive measures, and spraying pesticides to keep the mosquitoes away.

Bowling added that you can visit Metro Health's website for information on their containment efforts and the West Nile virus.