West Nile Virus-Positive Mosquitoes Found In Lake County

LAKE BLUFF, IL — In Lake County's first sign of West Nile virus of 2021, mosquitoes collected last week in Lake Bluff later tested positive for the virus, public health officials said.

Lake County Health Department Executive Director Mark Pfister encouraged residents to remember to take precautions against potential human infection.

“As we approach the summer season, our time outdoors increases, and so does our exposure to mosquitoes,” Pfister said in a statement. “Please remember to ‘Fight the Bite’ and protect yourself and your family from mosquitoes that may carry West Nile virus.”

Public health officials recommend checking any area that might hold stagnant water and serve as a fertile breeding ground for mosquitoes.

Other tips to avoid bites include the use of insect repellant, especially during dawn and dusk, and wearing long-sleeved shorts, long pants and closed-toe shoes.

The health department runs a mosquito surveillance program to coordinate weekly testing of samples of the insects, as well as monitoring reports of dead birds.

Public health officials encourage resident to report sightings of sick or dead perching birds during the summer months, as they can be an early indicator of the presence of West Nile virus.

To report standing water, dead birds or for more information about the signs and symptoms of West Nile, residents may call the department's West Nile hotline at 847-377-8300.

According to Michael Adam, the department's deputy director of environmental health, the type of mosquito that serves as the primary carrier of West Nile virus — from the genus Culex — remains at large despite the drier than usual summer in Illinois.

“While the hot, dry weather results in fewer mosquitoes overall, the Culex mosquitoes that cause West Nile virus are still present,” Adam said. "The years with the most cases of West Nile virus have often been during hot, dry summers.”

This year, the first West Nile-positive mosquito sample of 2021 in the state was collected June 9 in Skokie.

Patch has requested further information regarding samples collected this year in Lake County, which will be added here when received.

RELATED: Mosquitoes In Skokie First Of 2021 To Test Positive For West Nile Virus In Illinois

This year's first West Nile-positive mosquito samples in Lake County were collected about two weeks later than last year's, when the first mosquitoes with the virus were found in Hawthorn Woods, and three days later than 2019, when they were collected in Highland Park.

In all of last year, a total 93 batches of mosquito samples tested positive for the virus in Lake County, according to the health department.

The county has not reported a human case of West Nile virus since 2018, when eight cases were discovered, according to Illinois Department of Public Health archives.

Since 2002, four people in Lake County have died from the virus.

While most people infected will never show any symptoms, other may develop fever, nausea, headaches and soreness.

Those over 50 and with weakened immune systems are most at risk for serious complications, which can include sometimes fatal meningitis or encephalitis.