Fort Bend County is stepping up its efforts to combat mosquitoes this summer, with leaders saying several areas have been hit hard. The situation has become serious enough that officials declared a local public health emergency. County leaders described the mosquito problem as a significant one as the warm season set in.
Officials said the county is dealing with unusually high mosquito activity. They pointed to surveillance data showing traps that ranged from 5,000 to as many as 55,000 mosquitoes in a single trap. Those numbers helped drive the decision to declare the emergency.
According to officials, the weather has played a major role in the surge. It is really warm and really wet right now, conditions that produce a lot of mosquitoes. They noted that last year was fairly dry, so eggs that did not hatch then are hatching off this year.
Officials warned about the health risks that come with so many mosquitoes. They said West Nile virus is endemic to the area and shows up in the mosquito population almost every year. This year, they said, the county is already up to 14 mosquito positive pools.
The county said its teams are out trapping mosquitoes, testing them, and treating areas when the virus is found. That work on the ground helps officials determine which areas were most heavily impacted. The goal is to focus control efforts where they are needed most.
To help residents understand the threat, the county provided a map highlighting the hardest hit areas in blue. Officials said those neighborhoods were selected based on their surveillance and ground control data. The map is meant to show where mosquito activity has been most intense.
As part of the response, aerial spraying is planned to take place between June 22nd and the 24th. The treatment is set to cover several communities, including Fairchilds and Pleak. Officials said the spraying is one piece of a broader effort to bring the mosquito population under control.