Two Towns Report 1st West Nile Positive Tests, Spraying Planned

GLENVIEW, IL — Mosquito control operations are planned on the North Shore Monday night following a week in which the first West Nile positive mosquitoes of the year were found in Winnetka and Northbrook, the North Shore Mosquito Abatement District announced. The targeted spraying and insecticide application is planned for parts of Glenview, Golf, Morton Grove, Skokie and Wilmette between 8 p.m. on July 9 and 2 a.m. on July 10, weather permitting.

Mosquitoes collected in Northbrook on June 29 tested positive Tuesday, and mosquitoes collected from Winnetka on Monday tested positive for the virus on Thursday. As of July 2, the district had tested more than 600 batches of mosquitoes and turned up 15 positive samples of mosquitoes carrying West Nile Virus in 2018 in Evanston, Glencoe, Glenview, Lincolnwood, Morton Grove, Niles, Northbrook, Northfield and Skokie. Statewide, there have been 90 positive batches found across 19 counties, according to state public health officials.

According to the district, the infection rate among mosquitoes – 1.35 per every 1,000 tested – remains above average. The risk of humans becoming infected is low but increasing, and human infections mostly occur during July through September. Human cases often go unreported, as relatively healthy people with West Nile can be asymptomatic, according to public health officials. People with the virus infected can experience fever, nausea and headaches for weeks.

Last year in Illinois, eight people died among 90 confirmed human cases. One human case, a Chicago woman in her 60s, has been reported so far in 2018.

The district recommended residents use insect repellent, wear loose fitting clothing and avoid peak mosquito feeding times around dawn and dusk to protect themselves. To report areas that may produce mosquitoes –including roadside ditches, flooded yards or elsewhere – call 847-446-9434 or report standing water or a dead bird online to the North Shore Mosquito Abatement District.

Areas affected by planned July 9 mosquito control operations:

Related:

• First Human Case Of West Nile Virus In Illinois For 2018
• First West Nile Mosquitoes Of Year Found In Glenview, Morton Grove
• First West Nile Positive Mosquitoes Found In Lake County