By Neil Doyle
SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Public Health has confirmed the first mosquitoes to test positive for West Nile virus this year. The North Shore Mosquito Abatement District collected a positive mosquito batch on June 9 from Skokie, Illinois in Cook County. No human cases of West Nile virus have been reported so far this year.
“We are starting to see West Nile virus make its annual appearance,” said Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. “Remember to take precautions to protect yourself from mosquitoes and the viruses they carry by wearing insect repellent and getting rid of standing water around your home.”
Last year, 26 counties in Illinois reported a West Nile virus positive mosquito batch, bird and/or human case. IDPH reported 39 human cases (although human cases are underreported), including four deaths.
Precautions to Fight the Bite include practicing the three “R’s” – reduce, repel, and report.
- REDUCE – make sure doors and windows have tight-fitting screens. Repair or replace screens that have tears or other openings. Try to keep doors and windows shut.
Eliminate, or refresh each week, all sources of standing water where mosquitoes can breed, including water in bird baths, ponds, flowerpots, wading pools, old tires, and any other containers. - REPEL – when outdoors, wear shoes and socks, long pants and a light-colored, long-sleeved shirt, and apply an EPA-registered insect repellent that contains DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus, or IR 3535 according to label instructions. Consult a physician before using repellents on infants.
- REPORT – report locations where you see water sitting stagnant for more than a week such as roadside ditches, flooded yards, and similar locations that may produce mosquitoes. The local health department or city government may be able to add larvicide to the water, which will kill any mosquito larvae.
Neil Doyle can be reached at [email protected]
