Rising West Nile virus-infected mosquitoes occur weeks earlier in the Chicago area

The Chicago area has seen a slight increase in the number of mosquitoes infected with West Nile virus during the last week, which is much earlier in summer than in previous years.

"We do not only see a lot of Culex mosquitoes, which carry West Nile virus, but we see a lot of West Nile virus."

Earlier this month, an Aurora woman and a woman Wheaton woman contracted West Nile virus.

District mosquito control and health service officials are now on alert, warning residents and eliminating stagnant water. They urge people to wear repellents and avoid being bitten by mosquitoes.

"Our concern, of course, is to try to prevent more cases during the summer," said Kevin Dixon, director of the DuPage County Health Department.

West Nile virus infected mosquito bites have been reported in DuPage and Will counties, as well as in the North Shore Mosquito Depression District (NSMAD).

"Our West Nile levels are above average," said NSMAD Executive Director Mark Clifton. "We are approaching these thresholds where we will see human infections."

Clifton said that he normally does not see these levels of mosquitoes infected with West Nile virus until mid-August. West Nile virus thrives in hot, dry weather, he says.

"It's probably not going to improve soon, the risk is likely to increase," he said.

The fair reworked the drainage system, retained the services of an emissions reduction firm, and turned an old landfill into a stable natural landscape, said Jim McGuire, director of the fair. McGuire said.

Mosquito experts say that there is no way to tell if we are still at a peak for West Nile, because it depends on the weather. cold and humid will probably reduce the risk of infection.The risks of contracting infection increase in hot weather, and then generally decrease after the first frost of the year