Lubbock Public Health confirms first human case of West Nile virus for the year - fox34.com

Vector Control is actively treating affected areas with larvicide and adulticide as the city works to contain the spread. West Nile is carried by mosquitoes and can cause serious illness, and the confirmation of a human case signals the season is no longer just a theoretical risk for people here.

For folks in Lubbock, that means now is the time to actually use the bug spray sitting in the garage. Public health officials recommend wearing EPA-registered insect repellent and covering up with long sleeves and pants when heading outside. Dawn and dusk are the highest-risk windows, so if you're walking the neighborhood or sitting on the porch in the evening, take that seriously. Inside, intact window screens and air conditioning help keep mosquitoes out. One of the simplest steps is dumping any standing water around your property, since that's where mosquitoes breed.

Saint Louis Encephalitis, also flagged in current surveillance, is another mosquito-borne illness that can affect the brain and nervous system, making this more than a one-virus concern heading into the heart of summer.