No Mass Mosquito Spraying Planned for Oak Lawn Despite First Human West Nile Virus Case

Caption: The South Cook County Mosquito Abatement District said it will decide next week if street-by-street spraying is needed in Oak Lawn. District will spray village green before next weekend’s Fall On the Green festival.

In the wake of the news of suburban Cook County’s first human case of West Nile virus reported in Oak Lawn, there are no immediate plans to spray village streets and neighborhoods, an official from the mosquito abatement district said.

Earlier this week, Cook County public health officials announced that an Oak Lawn woman in her forties was recovering from the mosquito-borne virus in her home. The woman became infected two to three weeks ago, and has had no recent history of travel.

So far, mosquito pools in 61 communities and three dead birds have tested positive for West Nile virus throughout suburban Cook County.

The South Cook County Mosquito Abatement District, which allocates mosquito abatement resources to 54 communities, confirmed that West Nile virus-carrying mosquitoes have been found in Oak Lawn.

“We’ve been hitting forested and park areas, but we have no plans to do street-by-street spraying in Oak Lawn,” said Michael Slameckaa, a biologist for the mosquito abatement district. “Ideally we like to get it before it spreads to the human population. If a person gets [West Nile virus], it’s too late for us.

The county has been spraying areas in Oak Lawn where there are high concentrations of mosquitoes, including both sides of the Metra tracks running through Oak Lawn, the Stony Creek bike path from Richards High School, at 106th Street and Central Avenue, all the way to Cicero Avenue.

The village green has also been sprayed prior to the summer’s showing of outdoor movies, and surrounding cemeteries.

“We’ve been hitting those pretty good,” Slamecka said. “We’ve been spraying other small areas in Oak Lawn that are overgrown.”

Slamecka said that county will continue to monitor Oak Lawn’s mosquitoes. Traps set out in in the village were collected with plans to test the mosquitoes for West Nile on Friday.

“How many mosquitoes collected that test positive and weather conditions determines where we spray,” Slamecka said. “Things could change in a day or two. We’re keeping a close eye on it.”

The South Cook County Mosquito Abatement District will decide next week if street-by-street spraying in Oak Lawn is needed.

Slamecka said the village green will be sprayed for mosquitoes before next weekend’s Fall On the Green festival.

The Des Plaines Valley Mosquito Abatement District sprayed Burbank’s streets and neighborhoods on Monday evening, following the flood.

“We still need to be careful for the next month or so,” Slamecka said. “We’re not out of the woods yet.”

The county is also still collecting dead birds, particularly blues jays, crows and robins, to test for the virus.

The bird needs to be in fairly good condition with no decomposition. Should you find a dead bird, call the dead bird hotline at 708-633-8025 for further instruction.