Spray for mosquitoes set for much of Evanston

EVANSTON, IL – Mosquito control operations are scheduled for Evanston Wednesday night, the North Shore Mosquito Abatement District announced. Targeted spraying and insecticide application are scheduled between 20 hours. on July 11 and 2 am on July 12, weather permitting, at Evanston, east of the North Shore Channel or north of Golf Road.

In Evanston this year, three batches of mosquitoes were tested positive for West Nile virus in 2018. This week, mosquitoes found in two other cities on the North Shore were tested positive for the first time this year. Mosquitoes collected in Northbrook on June 29 were tested positive on Tuesday, and mosquitoes collected on Monday at Winnetka tested positive for the virus last Thursday.

The district tested more than 600 mosquito lots and found 15 positive West Nile virus mosquito samples as of July 2, with samples in Evanston, Glencoe, Glenview, Lincolnwood, Morton Grove, Niles, Northbrook and Northfield. and Skokie. At the state level, there have been 90 positive lots found in 19 counties, according to state public health officials.

According to the district, the mosquito infection rate – 1.35 per 1,000 tested – remains above average. The risk of humans becoming infected is low but increasing, and human infections occur mainly between July and September. Human cases are often not reported because people who are relatively healthy with West Nile virus may be asymptomatic, according to public health officials. Infected people may have fever, nausea, and headaches for weeks.

Last year in Illinois, eight people died among 90 confirmed human cases. A human case, a Chicago woman in her sixties, has been reported until now in 2018.