Bolingbrook Mosquitoes Test Positive For West Nile

BOLINGBROOK, IL — Mosquitoes at a Bolingbrook testing site have tested positive for West Nile virus, Will County health officials said Friday. The infected mosquito sample was taken from a Will County Health Department Environmental Division West Nile program trap in Bolingbrook's Central Park. The sample was taken July 12 and the positive test was confirmed July 21.

The discovery came shortly after health officials reported that a Will County man, 67, is the state's first confirmed human case of West Nile. West Nile virus can be transferred to humans by the bite of a culex mosquito after the mosquito has bitten an infected bird. Most people who are infected don't have any symptoms, but serious cases can lead to meningitis, encephalitis or death.

Health department Environmental Health Director Tom Case urged anyone who spots a dead bird — a telltale sign of possible West Nile infection — to report it to the health department so it can be tested.

“They can call our hotline at 815-740-7631, and we will come and pick up the bird ourselves,” Casey explained. “Or, they are welcome to bring the bird to us. But it must be handled with gloves on. And the best way to transport it is to pick the bird up with a shovel, double-bag it, and then bring it to us in a cooler on ice.”

Symptoms of West Nile Virus can include a fever, headaches, body aches, joint pains, vomiting, diarrhea, or a rash.

West Nile Virus: State's First Case Confirmed In Will Count

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