Tarrant County confirms first West Nile mosquitos

Tarrant County Public Health said on May 14 that it had confirmed the first mosquito samples of 2026 to test positive for West Nile virus, with the infected pools collected in Fort Worth and Grand Prairie. The county said the findings came from routine countywide mosquito surveillance and marked the start of the 2026 West Nile season in Tarrant County. Officials said 314 mosquito samples had been processed this year by the county’s North Texas Regional Laboratory before the first positives were identified. No human cases had been reported as of the county’s notice. ### Where were the positive mosquito samples found? Fort Worth and Grand Prairie were the two cities where the first positive mosquito pools were collected, according to Tarrant County Public Health. The county did not say in its public notice how many positive pools were found, but it said the samples came from routine trap-and-test work conducted across the county. (tarrantcountytx.gov) Tarrant County’s mosquito surveillance program relies on traps placed around participating municipalities, with mosquitoes grouped into “pools” for testing at the county vector laboratory. The county says female mosquitoes are sorted by species into groups of 1 to 50 mosquitoes from each surveillance site before arbovirus testing. (tarrantcountytx.gov) ### Why did county officials say this marks the start of the season? May 14 was the date county officials used to announce the first positive samples, and the agency said that detection “marks the beginning” of the 2026 West Nile virus season in Tarrant County. Local coverage by WFAA and KERA, citing the county notice, reported the same framing and said West Nile activity in North Texas typically rises between May and October. (tarrantcountytx.gov) The Texas Department of State Health Services describes West Nile virus as the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in the United States and publishes annual county-level surveillance maps for Texas. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says state and territorial health departments report West Nile case data nationwide. (tarrantcountytx.gov) ### Have any people in Tarrant County gotten sick yet? Tarrant County Public Health said no human cases had been reported at the time of its announcement. WFAA also reported that no human infections had been identified yet in the county this year. Fort Worth Report, citing county officials, said Tarrant County recorded 28 human cases and 24 hospitalizations in 2024, and that the county’s last reported West Nile death was in 2024. (dshs.texas.gov) That outlet also reported the county had bought $20,000 worth of mosquito dunks for participating cities this season. ### What are local governments likely to do next? (tarrantcountytx.gov) WFAA reported that cities in Tarrant County may begin mosquito treatments as needed after positive pools are detected. Fort Worth maintains a public West Nile map showing current spray areas and posts mosquito-control information through its environmental services department. (fortworthreport.org) Tarrant County also maintains a public health vector surveillance dashboard that tracks mosquito alerts and testing activity. The dashboard is one of the public tools residents can use to monitor whether additional positive samples are found in the coming weeks. ### What should residents watch for as surveillance continues? Tarrant County said warmer-weather West Nile activity usually increases from May through October, the period when mosquito populations are more active in North Texas. (wfaa.com) The county and local broadcasters urged residents to reduce standing water and take standard mosquito precautions, including repellant and protective clothing. (gisit.tarrantcounty.com) The next public signals will come from city spray notices, county dashboard updates and any additional Tarrant County Public Health alerts tied to new mosquito pools or human cases. As of May 17, the county’s first confirmed positives remained the samples collected in Fort Worth and Grand Prairie. (gisit.tarrantcounty.com) (wfaa.com)