Don’t let the cool temperatures this past weekend fool you. West Nile season is here, the mosquitoes already are out in force, and the pools of collected water put in place an environment conducive to mosquito multiplication.

Last year, the first bird in Kane County to test positive for West Nile was reported in June. The first human case of West Nile in Illinois was reported in August.

So, what’s Kane County doing about it? And what can you do to protect yourself and your family?

The Kane County Health Department is advising residents that spring is the time to inspect their homes and yards for sources of standing water. As we start to see warmer weather, we will start to see more mosquitoes, and that means West Nile virus.  The Health Department will be collecting birds and mosquito samples for West Nile virus testing in order to track the virus across Illinois.

Monitoring Mosquitoes

Predicting West Nile virus activity is like predicting the weather, as it can change week to week. So the Health Department monitors for WNV activity by collecting mosquitoes in traps in your area.

You can visit the Health Department website to view a map of trap locations throughout the county. Also as part of its West Nile program, the Health Department is collecting dead birds from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday to be sent to the state lab for testing.

Please call (630) 444-3040 to report the presence of freshly-dead birds (such as crows or blue jays) to determine if WNV testing is recommended. The birds must not show any signs of decay, trauma, maggot or insect activity.

Visit the Kane County Health Department website to view more-detailed West Nile monitoring results.

What You Should Know About West Nile Virus

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 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 key factors in determining high or low levels of West Nile virus activity are temperature and rainfall. Although people usually notice mosquitoes during rainy conditions, those mosquitoes are commonly called floodwater or nuisance mosquitoes and typically do not carry West Nile virus. In hot, dry weather, mosquitoes that do carry West Nile virus breed in stagnant water, like street catch basins and ditches, and multiply rapidly.

Best Ways to Prevent West Nile Virus

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:

• Avoid being outdoors when mosquitoes are most active, especially between dusk and dawn. Use prevention methods whenever mosquitoes are present.
• When outdoors, wear shoes and socks, long pants and a long-sleeved shirt, and apply insect repellent that includes DEET, picaridin or oil of lemon eucalyptus according to label instructions. Consult a physician before using repellents on infants.
• 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, especially at night.
• Change water in birdbaths weekly. Properly maintain wading pools and stock ornamental ponds with fish. Cover rain barrels with 16-mesh wire screen. 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.

Additional information about West Nile virus can be found on the Kane County Health Department’s website. You can also visit the Illinois Department of Public Health’s website. People also can call the IDPH West Nile Virus Hotline at (866) 369-9710 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.