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Protect yourself from mosquitoes by remembering the 4D's:
- DUSK/DAWN are the times of day you should try to stay indoors. This is when infected mosquitoes are most active.
- DRESS in long sleeves and pants when you're outside. For extra protection, you may want to spray thin clothing with repellent.
- DEET (N, N-diethyl-m-toluamide) is an ingredient to look for in your insect repellent. Follow label instructions, and always wear repellent when outdoors.
- DRAIN standing water in your backyard and neighborhood - old tires, flowerpots, and clogged rain gutters. These are mosquito-breeding sites. Reapply as you would with suncreen, after sweating and swimming.
Mosquitoes get West Nile virus after biting infected birds. Symptoms of mild West Nile virus infections include fever, headache, sore throat, body aches, fatigue, skin rash and swollen lymph glands. Symptoms of more severe West Nile virus infections - encephalitis and meningitis - include headache, high fever, stiff neck, disorientation, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, coma and paralysis. If you have these symptoms, contact your health care provider right away
Fort Bend County conducts surveillance of mosquito pools for the presence of West Nile virus. To report unusual numbers of mosquitoes in a particular area, call Road and Bridge at 281-342-0508. For information on West Nile virus go to http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/idcu/disease/arboviral/westNile/
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 What is Public Health? (Video)
The Department of Health & Human Services is Fort Bend County's principal agency for protecting the health of county residents and providing essential human services, especially for those who are least able to help themselves. The Department includes seven subordinate departments, covering a wide spectrum of activities .
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