Mosquitoes caught in Will County recently tested positive for West Nile virus, adding Will to the list of 21 counties in which the potentially deadly virus has been found in mosquitoes, birds or both, county health officials said.
Tests on the trap, which was in Crete, came back last week. It was the first positive test in Will this year, county Health Department officials said.
Other counties where the virus has been detected include Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Kane, Lake, Kankakee and McHenry, according to the Illinois Public Health Department.
So far, no human cases of West Nile have been reported in Illinois, but those cases typically are not reported until July or later, officials said. According to the Centers for Disease Control, human cases have been reported in three of 24 states where West Nile had been detected as of June 27.
Last year, the first human case of West Nile in Illinois wasn’t reported until late July, said Melanie Arnold, spokeswoman for the Public Health Department.
West Nile was first identified in birds in Illinois in September 2001. The first human cases were reported the following year, during which Illinois reported 884 human cases and 67 deaths, more than any other state. In 2003, the epicenter of human cases began to move west as Illinois cases dropped significantly.
Since 2002, Illinois has confirmed 1,250 cases of West Nile, of which 84 proved fatal, according to the Public Health Department. Last year, there were 252 cases, 12 of which were fatal.
West Nile is transmitted through the bite of a mosquito that has picked up the virus by feeding on an infected bird. Most people with the virus have no symptoms, but about 20 percent of those bitten become ill within three to 14 days
Symptoms are usually mild–with fever, headache and body aches–but serious illness, such as encephalitis or meningitis, can result. People older than 50 have the highest risk of severe illness.
State health officials recommended people avoid going outdoors between dusk and dawn; wear long pants, long-sleeved shirts, shoes and socks when outside; apply insect repellent that includes DEET, picaridin or oil of lemon eucalyptus; make sure windows have tight-fitting screens; and eliminate sources of standing water. A physician should be consulted before using repellent on infants, they said.
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hdardick@tribune.com
