Mosquito Information & Resources

Who to Call for Sprays

Residents can call in a request for a spray through the Galveston County Mosquito Control office, which handles mosquito control for the City, at 800-842-5622. They can also visit the Galveston County Mosquito Control website, where spray schedules and hours are posted and updated daily.

What You Can Do to Protect Your Family and Yourself

• Be sure to remember the 4-D’s: Defend, Dress, Dawn & Dusk, and Drain:

• Use insect repellant that contains DEET, picaridin, IR3535 or products that contain oil of lemon eucalyptus and para-menthane-diol.

• Wear long-sleeves and long pants if you’re going to be outside for an extended period of time. Dusk through dawn is when mosquitoes are most active.

• Avoid going outside from dusk until dawn when mosquitoes are most active.

• Get rid of standing water around your house or apartment – wet, murky areas are where mosquitoes tend to breed. Buckets, discarded tires, and even birdbaths are great places for mosquitoes to lay eggs.

• Install or repair screens on windows and doors or use air conditioning.

Things to Remember

Most people infected with WNV do not have symptoms. About one in five people who are infected develop a fever and other symptoms including a headache, body aches, joint pains, vomiting, diarrhea or rash. Most people with WNV recover completely, but fatigue and weakness can last for weeks or months.

About one out of 150 infected people develop a serious, sometimes fatal, illness like encephalitis or meningitis (inflammation of the brain or surrounding tissues). Symptoms can include a headache, high fever, neck stiffness, disorientation, coma, tremors, seizures or paralysis.

Serious illness can occur in people of any age, but those 60 years or older are at the greatest risk for severe disease, as are people with certain medical conditions including cancer, diabetes, hypertension, kidney disease and organ transplant recipients.

Anyone who experiences symptoms should contact their healthcare provider.

For More Information

For more information on WNV, visit the Centers for Disease Control West Nile page.