Easier to get hit by lightning than catch fatal West Nile in Texas

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- In an emergency meeting August 18th, Montgomery County commissioners approved a million dollars' worth of aerial mosquito spraying.

Montgomery County has 10 cases and one death partially caused by West Nile so far in 2014. The traditional peak is yet to come.

Harris County has 15 cases and one death. Harris County started aerial spraying earlier this month.

West Nile is on the rise this year. It sounds and is alarming but we wanted to add some context to the discussion.

But when it comes to the chance you will get it, it is still very rare. State statistics from the Department of State Health Services show that last year in Texas, you had a 1 in 142,404 chance of getting West Nile.

And when it comes to fatal cases, they're tragic and sad but really rare.

Last year just 14 people in all of Texas died from West Nile. You were twice as likely to be struck by lightning. Texans were four times more likely to die from meningitis than West Nile, five times more likely to die from tuberculosis, nine times more likely to die from a boat or plane accident and twice as likely to be involved in a fatal shooting with a police officer.

All of this is just to add some context to what's being described as a public health emergency, and hopefully give you some comfort that it's probably OK to enjoy the last few weeks of summer outside with a little precaution.

The CDC says West Nile is best prevented with bug spray, long sleeves and by dumping out standing water. Aerial spraying isn't as effective as that.

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