Longview takes precautions against West Nile virus

Longview, TX — Multiple cases of West Nile virus and West Nile fever have been reported recently across the state, and local officials are taking steps against mosquitoes to make sure the virus doesn’t spread to East Texas.

Eight people in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area have been diagnosed with West Nile virus, and 10 others in North Central Texas have been infected with West Nile fever, the Texas Department of State Health Services said Monday.

In coastal Port Arthur this past week, three mosquitoes taken from a sampling tested positive for West Nile virus, though no animal or human cases were found.

While there have been no reported cases of West Nile virus in Northeast Texas in 2012, recent rains across the region increase the presence of mosquitoes and the chance the disease could spread to the area, officials said.

Read more [1] from the Longview News-Journal.