West Nile: Mosquitoes Collected In Oswego Test Positive

OSWEGO, IL — Time to stock up on the bug spray. A batch of mosquitoes collected May 29 in Oswego has tested positive for West Nile virus, according to the Kendall County Health Department.

It's the first batch of WNV-positive mosquitoes this year in Kendall County but not the first case in Illinois, where a human case of West Nile has already been reported.

Symptoms of West Nile virus are usually mild and include fever, headache and body aches. Serious illnesses, such as encephalitis and meningitis, are also possible, and in extreme cases the illness can be fatal. Those over 50 years old and those with compromised immune systems have the highest risk of severe disease.

So far this year, a Chicago woman in her 60s has tested positive for West Nile.

Precautions to Fight the Bite include practicing the three "R's" – reduce, repel, and report, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health:

• 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 long-sleeved shirt, and apply 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 eggs.

Monitoring for West Nile virus in Illinois includes laboratory tests for mosquito batches, dead crows, blue jays, robins and other perching birds, as well as testing humans with West Nile virus-like symptoms. People who observe a sick or dying crow, blue jay, robin or other perching bird should contact their local health department, which will determine if the bird will be picked up for testing.

Additional information about West Nile virus can be found on the IDPH website.

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