Texas officials have confirmed the state's first case of West Nile virus this year along with 10 cases of dengue fever amid a global surge of mosquito-borne illnesses, according to a statement from Texas Health and Human Services.
What's happening?
While the officials said that all 10 cases of dengue this year came from international travel, there is also a growing mosquito problem in Texas and many other parts of the world — and mosquitoes spread more diseases than just dengue and West Nile.
About 20% of people exposed to West Nile develop symptoms such as headache, fever, muscle and joint aches, nausea, and fatigue. Less than 1% of people develop the much more serious West Nile neuroinvasive disease, which can lead to death.
"Unfortunately, many mosquitoes in Texas are capable of spreading diseases, such as West Nile and dengue. These diseases are often mild, but some people will develop severe illness," Jennifer Shuford, commissioner of the state health department, said in the news release. "So, it is important for Texans to know how to protect themselves against mosquito bites."
Why are mosquito-borne illnesses spreading?
The rise in mosquito populations is caused in part by the overheating of our planet, largely a consequence of burning dirty energy sources like gas and oil. As temperatures rise, mosquitoes, which thrive in hot, humid climates, are able to expand their range.
Mosquitoes also need standing water in which to lay their eggs, and heavy rainfall from Hurricane Beryl has left plenty of that in Texas.
"The mosquito season is always bad, but right now it's worse," tennis instructor Josue Medina told the Washington Post.
What's being done about the mosquito problem?
People have devised a range of solutions to reduce the number of mosquitoes around them, from practical to extreme. These include mosquito dunks, which kill the insects using nontoxic bacteria instead of chemicals, natural plant deterrents, and genetically modified mosquitoes that have been bred to kill the mosquitoes that spread diseases.
Of course, a major way to mitigate this issue is to prevent planet-overheating pollution by using clean, renewable power sources like wind and solar instead of dirty, polluting ones like gas and oil.
Editor's note: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that this was the first case of West Nile virus period in Texas, when it intended to report the first case of 2024. Per the Texas Department of State Health Services, there were 154 cases of the disease in Texas last year and 13 deaths.
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