BULLARD (KYTX) - With a full season of high school football ahead, and new cases of West Nile every day, it's important to protect yourself from mosquitoes in the stand.
How health experts are working to keep you safe, and what you should do to protect yourself this football season.
An East Texas tradition, high school football.
Where you find die hard fans, even those who rush to the stadium and forget something important.
"We did not, we were trying to get here in time," says Jonelle Yeley.
Yeley forgot bug spray.
"I have asthmatic child, too many chemicals, no bug spray," says Talitha Sanders.
Sanders doesn't use deet, but she has her own method of protection.
"I use dryer sheets. Bounce and gain work great and you smell good," says Sanders.
The North East Texas Public Health District says dusk, when games kick off, and dawn are the two times people should be most protected using deet and dressing in long sleeves and pants.
"They can literally save their own lives by following these rules," says Russell Hopkins with NETHealth.
NETHealth kicked off efforts to spray weeks ago before football began at 50 different districts across East Texas to keep players and fans safe.
"Try to get as many of those areas as we can and knock down the population of mosquitos so on Friday night, when everybody's in the stadium, mosquitos are not that bad," says Hopkins.
Hopkins says schools know to drain standing water, too.
But the last part of the fight, depends on you.
"For the rest of football season, yes. We'll be out here every Friday night," says Yeley.
Until a cold snap that can keep the mosquitos and threat of West Nile sidelined.
And when it comes to the players, you can find several kinds of sweat resistant bug sprays with deet.
Hopkins says one in every 500 mosquitos carry West Nile.
Those who are most susceptible to the virus are over 50-years-old and with compromised immune systems.
