Village of Lemont Spraying for Mosquitos Thursday

The Village of Lemont will spray for mosquitos on Thursday, July 2, after 10 p.m.

After the wettest June on record since 1895, more mosquitos than usual might be seen in the area. The Cook County Department of Public Health has warned suburbanites to take extra precautions, after insects culled from Evergreen Park and Oak Lawn in May tested positive for 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, the release stated. Common symptoms include fever, nausea, headache and muscle aches. Symptoms may last from a few days to a few weeks. However, four out of five people infected with West Nile virus will not show any symptoms. In rare cases, severe illness including meningitis or encephalitis, or even death, can occur. Surveillance for the virus in Illinois includes laboratory tests on mosquito batches, dead crows, blue jays, robins and other perching birds, as well as testing sick horses and humans with West Nile virus-like symptoms.

To avoid West Nile, health officials recommend residents limit time outside between dusk and dawn, when mosquitoes are most active. Eliminate sources of standing water, and wear long sleeves, pants and mosquito repellent when outside.

Almost 40,000 people in the U.S. have been reported with West Nile virus disease since 1999, and of those over 17,000 have been seriously ill and more than 1600 have died. Many more cases of illness are not reported to CDC.