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COOK COUNTY, IL – The Illinois Department of Public Health reports the first confirmed human case of West Nile virus in Illinois for 2021. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed on Tuesday that a county resident of Cook in his 60s, who fell ill in mid-June, tested positive for West Nile virus.
“As we continue to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, we must also remember to take action to protect our health from other diseases,” said IDPH director Dr Ngozi Ezike in A press release. “West Nile virus is something that we see every year in Illinois and it is important that people take steps to prevent mosquito bites and the viruses they carry by wearing bug spray and getting rid of them. standing water around their homes. ”
Last year, 26 counties in Illinois reported a batch of mosquitoes, birds, horses and / or humans positive for West Nile virus. For the 2020 season, the IDPH reported 42 human cases (although human cases are underreported), including four deaths, according to the press release.
West Nile virus is spread by the bite of a Culex pipiens mosquito, commonly known as a household mosquito, which caught the virus by feeding on an infected bird. Common symptoms are fever, nausea, headache, and muscle pain. Symptoms can last from a few days to a few weeks. However, four in five people infected with West Nile virus will not have any symptoms, according to the press release.
In rare cases, serious illness, including meningitis, or even death, can occur. People over 60 and people with weakened immune systems are at higher risk of getting serious illness from West Nile virus.
Precautions to “fight the bite” include practicing the three “Rs” – reduce, repel and signal – according to the IDPH.
REDUCE – 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 closed. Eliminate or refresh every week all sources of standing water where mosquitoes can breed, including water in birdbaths, ponds, flower pots, wading pools, old tires and any other receptacles
REPEL – outdoors, wear shoes and socks, long pants and a light-colored long-sleeved shirt, and apply an EPA-registered insect repellent that contains DEET, picaridin, olive oil. lemon eucalyptus or IR 3535 according to label directions. Consult a physician before using repellents on infants.
REPORT – report places where you see water stagnant for more than a week, such as roadside ditches, flooded backyards and similar places that can breed mosquitoes. The local health department or city government may be able to add a larvicide to the water, which will kill any mosquito larvae.
Additional information on West Nile virus is available on the IDPH website.
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