Skeeters attack with vengeance in the Katy area

Harris County health officials are reporting troubling signs of what could be a record year for mosquito-borne West Nile Virus, and the Katy area is right in the middle of it.

A Katy area ZIP code - 77094, which includes part of George Bush Park and Barker Reservoir - was one of the first places in Harris County where mosquitoes bearing the West Nile Virus were reported in June by Harris County Public Health and Environmental Services.

Another Katy ZIP code - 77493, which includes part of the city of Katy - was one of the first two in Harris County to report what officials now say is a disturbing jump in dead birds linked to the potentially deadly virus.

An elderly southwest Houston man died of the disease in July, city health officials said. So far, Houston and unincorporated Harris County have reported six human cases of West Nile.

"Katy, definitely, we've had activity there and probably (will) for the rest of the season. People should take those precautions," said Dr. Rudy Bueno, director of the Mosquito Control Division of the public health department. "But as far as there being a link to Katy? No, it's happening throughout Harris County."

According to an Aug. 14 report by the Texas Department of State Health Services, the agency has confirmed 214 human cases of West Nile neuroinvasive disease in Texas, including Harris County. At the time of that report, 10 of those cases in Dallas, McLennan and Travis counties had resulted in deaths. In all, 34 Texas counties have reported human cases of West Nile thus far in 2012, as compared with 15 in all of 2011, state health officials reported.

Bueno said northwest Harris County is a frequent "hotspot" for mosquito activity, because of recent rains and large areas of vegetation. At least two of this year's West Nile victims, who are recovering after trips to the hospital, were from west and northwest Harris County.

"Normally the hot spots have been in the northwest part of the county," Bueno said. "There's a tremendous amount of habitat for birds and mosquitoes. There is a lot of water out there. When we get the intermittent rains that we get, that just replenishes the water."

The Harris County Flood Control District reported that most locations across Harris County are running over five times the amount of rainfall this July as compared to July 2010. The northwest part of the county is experiencing 10 to 15 times more rain this July, as compared to the same month last year, said Jeff Lindner, meteorologist and Flood Watch manager.

But Bueno noted that another Harris County hotspot is inside the Loop, because of storm sewers. With 11 years of data collected, activity still seems to be "very random," he added.

"Do dead birds always show up in particular areas first? No," Bueno said. "We don't know where it's going to start up. There is no pattern to it whether it's going to start in the east side, west side, wherever."

Scientists track deaths of infected bird as an indicator of virus activity. Mosquitoes pick up the virus by feeding from infected birds, and then transmit the virus to humans. Bueno said a new generation of birds may be dying in greater numbers because they have not yet built up immunities to the disease, which first showed up in Texas more than a decade ago.

Katy-area residents should take the same precautions as all residents of Harris and Fort Bend counties, Bueno said. Use bug repellent, screen windows and doors, and get rid of the standing water where the mosquitoes can breed, he said.

In its June 6 report, Harris County public health officials reported mosquitoes testing positive for the West Nile Virus in only six ZIP codes. That group of six included 77094, mostly east of Fry Road, which includes portions of the Green Trails neighborhood, George Bush Park and Barker Reservoir. By the July 31 report, the number of ZIP codes had risen to 89.

In its June 28 report, ZIP code 77493 - which includes part of the city of Katy - was one of the first two to report a dead bird testing positive for West Nile. By the July 31 report, there were 26 ZIP codes reporting positive bird deaths.

As of the July 31 report, mosquitoes with the West Nile Virus had been found in Katy-area ZIP codes 77084, 77094, 77449, 77450, 77493 and 77494. These ZIP codes include parts of west Harris, north Fort Bend and east Waller counties. Of those ZIP codes, dead birds were reported in 77449, 77450, 77493 and 77493.

So far this year, Fort Bend County has seen no human cases of West Nile Virus, but has confirmed infected mosquitoes.

Weldon Sheard, vector control supervisor for Fort Bend County, said he has traps all over the county, which are checked and tested weekly at state labs in Austin. So far, those tests show West Nile-infected mosquitoes in the Richmond and Rosenberg area, but not in the Katy area, Sheard said.

Sheard also emphasized the importance of home-based mosquito control. A prime breeding ground in suburban areas, he said, are the black flexible pipes hooked to rain gutters and downspouts to divert water flow. If the pipes are not angled for complete drainage, water remaining inside can harbor the larvae in large numbers.

"Just a little bottle cap off a Coke bottle will breed a lot of mosquitoes," Sheard said.

The Culex mosquito is the primary carrier of West Nile Virus in this area. Effects of the disease can be mild and flu-like, or more severe, with brain inflammation, coma and death.

Karen Hastings is a freelance writer who can be reached at karenphastings@gmail.com