Editor’s note: Take a look back into The Dallas Morning News Archives.
This summer, North Texans not only have to protect themselves from the coronavirus, but also from disease-carrying mosquitoes. Every year the West Nile virus crops up again to some extent, with some years being worse than others. We took a look back in our archives to trace the timeline of the West Nile virus to see where we were then — and where we are now.
Arrival in the U.S.
The first mention of the West Nile virus in The Dallas Morning News was a wire report on Sept. 27, 1999, saying “A virus never before seen in the Western Hemisphere caused at least one of the deaths in New York City attributed to St. Louis encephalitis.”
Three days later, wire reports confirmed that the New York cases were in fact the West Nile virus, with cases also surfacing in Connecticut.
Wire reports about West Nile virus continued through 2001 with the spread of the virus westward. The first Dallas Morning News staff-written article about West Nile virus ran on Sept. 11, 2001. Staff writer Laura Heinauer opened the article saying, “The mosquito-borne West Nile virus, which has been blamed for 10 deaths on the East Coast, has spread westward faster than predicted and probably is already in Texas, state health department officials say.”
At the time, no cases had been reported in Texas, but there had been cases of the virus in most states east of the Mississippi River. The article stated, “Texas public health officials say they have stepped up efforts to monitor for the virus and predicted Monday that it probably will be found in East Texas next, possibly in an urban area such as Houston.”
Arrival in Texas
The predictions were correct, with the first cases of the West Nile virus found in Texas birds confirmed in Houston, reported on July 3, 2002. Residents were asked to collect dead bird carcasses and drop them off at testing locations throughout Harris County. County officials would then attempt to track the spread of the virus by documenting the incidence of infected birds.
While Houston was the first Texas city with confirmed cases of the virus, health officials knew Dallas could easily be next. “The likelihood that West Nile eventually will appear in the Dallas area is “quite good,” said Jim Schuermann, a state epidemiologist who specializes in diseases that spread from animals to humans.”
Arrival in Dallas
On July 12, 2002, The News reported that West Nile virus cases were confirmed in dead birds found in Far North Dallas and Richardson. It appeared that the virus was moving “more quickly than expected” through Texas. Dallas-area residents were asked to keep an eye out for dead blue jays and crows, which was typically the first sign that the virus has moved into the area.
Many residents felt panicked about the West Nile virus, and in response The Dallas Morning News editorial board published an editorial titled “West Nile - Don’t panic - prepare” on July 19, 2002, saying “The best antidote to panic is preparation.”
On Aug. 6, 2002, The News reported the first North Texas cases, “A 33-year-old Balch Springs woman and a 71-year-old North Dallas man appear to be the first North Texas residents infected with the West Nile virus.” At a Dallas County health department news conference, doctors emphasized the need to stay calm and not panic.
Areas where the virus was detected were routinely sprayed, though some were worried about the health risk that could come from the spraying itself. In January of 2003, health officials were warning that the virus would return that year, and they were preparing by using data from the 2002 outbreak.
Continued presence
In 2006, the West Nile virus made front page news with the headline, “West Nile deaths surge in N. Texas.” Infections that year saw a sharp increase compared to 2005, mainly due to a mild winter and an ongoing drought that combined to create “an ideal breeding ground for the mosquito-borne disease,” according to health experts.
In 2009, mosquitoes overstayed their welcome, hanging around long into the fall, “thanks to unseasonably warm temperatures and a whole lot of soggy spots left by October’s rains.” An article published Nov. 12, 2009 discussed how temperatures were higher than normal for that time of year, and it hadn’t yet gotten cold enough to kill mosquitoes.
This was a departure from 2008 and 2010, which both saw mild seasons for the West Nile virus in North Texas. 2010 had so few cases, it was said to be a “nearly dormant” West Nile season: “After eight years of causing severe illness and even death in Dallas County, the mosquito-borne West Nile virus became virtually undetectable here this summer and fall.” Health officials were “unable to explain” why this happened, with several experts theorizing that, “[2010′s] weather, including a hard freeze and snow, may have interfered with mosquito lifecycles or habitats.”
In 2012, the virus came back with a vengeance, with 390 mild to severe infections in Dallas County and a death toll of 18, reported on Nov. 27, 2012. One of the hardest hit ZIP codes in Dallas County was 75214, which encompasses part of White Rock Lake, Northeast Dallas and Lakewood. A month later on Dec. 16, staff writer Sherry Jacobson reported, “The worst West Nile virus outbreak in North Texas history has loosened its grip, but it hasn’t completely let go.” By this time, the virus had claimed 35 lives in the four-county area (Collin, Dallas, Denton, Tarrant).
In 2016, the Zika virus — also transmitted by mosquitoes — took the spotlight from West Nile, but today West Nile is still the bigger threat, with “no current local transmission of the Zika virus in the continental United States.” The CDC publishes maps and statistics regarding mosquito-borne viruses, like Zika and West Nile virus, on their website. In Dallas County, the Dallas County Health and Human Services provides information about West Nile, and other diseases, on its website.
Mosquito samples testing positive for West Nile are already showing up this summer, including in Plano and Arlington. On July 21, 2020, Tarrant County reported its first West Nile virus death of 2020. There hasn’t been a death from the West Nile virus in the county since Sept. 2018.
While spraying for mosquitoes and other precautionary measures are still taken today, 18 years after the West Nile virus first showed up in Dallas there are still no known treatments or cures.
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