BEAUMONT — Kevin Sexton, the Director of the Jefferson County Mosquito Control said they test mosquitos weekly for West Nile virus. They first found mosquitos positive for West Nile back in June on the south end of Beaumont; Park and Saxe St. and Corley and 8th Street. He said on July 17th they found mosquitos positive for West Nile at three locations.
"One of them was Parks and Sax again in south Beaumont, another one was Ogden and Harriot in south Beaumont, and the third one was in northeast Beaumont just north of Interstate 10 on Cable St," said Sexton.
Sexton said since West Nile was established in the area years ago, it's a seasonal thing for them to be here. While they don't get worked up over it, they do take it seriously.
"We'll put our trucks in those areas where we had some mosquitos that tested positive, it doesn't mean we're going to have human cases," said Sexton.
He said they cycle through the cities with the trucks, and visit the areas positive for West Nile more frequently. They spray in the evening hours from 7-11 pm.
Sexton explained that not all mosquitos carry West Nile virus, the ones that do only come out at night. During the evening hours he suggests using insect repellant and wearing long sleeves and pants.
Sexton said mosquitos take seven days to transform from eggs to adults. To help control mosquitos in yards, he said to get rid of standing water, like dog bowls and bird baths, every 2-3 days.
The elderly, young children, and those with weak immune systems are most likely to contract West Nile.
There was one reported case of West Nile Virus in a human in Orange County last week.