LEE COUNTY — On July 12, 2018, the Lee County Health Department recorded the first positive West Nile Virus (WNV) mosquito batch test of the season. The sample was obtained in the Dixon area. This was the first positive result recorded for Lee County this season.
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LEE COUNTY — On July 12, 2018, the Lee County Health Department recorded the first positive West Nile Virus (WNV) mosquito batch test of the season. The sample was obtained in the Dixon area. This was the first positive result recorded for Lee County this season.
Additionally, a sample collected in the Amboy/Sublette area tested positive on July 17. These tests merely confirm the continued presence of WNV in our area. This news should not cause alarm, but rather serve as a reminder to use caution the remainder of your summer when outdoors.
West Nile virus 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 clinical symptoms of illness, but some may become ill three to 14 days after the bite of an infected mosquito. Only about two persons out of 10 who are bitten by an infected mosquito will experience any illness. Illness from West Nile Virus is usually mild and includes fever, headache and body aches, but serious illness, such as encephalitis and meningitis, and death are possible. Persons older than 50 years of age have the highest risk of severe disease.
The best way to prevent West Nile disease or any other mosquito-borne illness is to reduce the number of mosquitoes around your home and to take personal precautions to avoid mosquito bites. Precautions include:
In communities where there are organized mosquito control programs, contact your municipal government to report areas of stagnant water in roadside ditches, flooded yards and similar locations that may produce mosquitoes.
Public health officials believe that a hot summer could increase mosquito activity and the risk of disease from West Nile virus.
Additional information about West Nile Virus can be found on the state health department’s website at www.idph.state.il.us/envhealth/wnv.htm or people can call the West Nile Virus Hotline at 866-369-9710, from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
You may also contact the Lee County Health Department at 815-284-3371 for additional information.