Mosquito batch in Kendall County tests positive for West Nile virus

Kendall County Health Department officials have reported that a mosquito batch collected in Yorkville recently tested positive for West Nile virus.

This is the first positive sample for Kendall County this season, officials said Tuesday. Positive mosquito batches have also been found in several other areas of northern Illinois, including DuPage, Kane, DeKalb, LaSalle and Will counties, according to Kendall officials.

Kendall County Health Department officials are reminding residents that the risk of West Nile virus infection is greatest from now through the first hard frost in the fall.

So far this year, several Illinois counties have reported positive test results through either mosquito or bird samples, Kendall County Health Department officials said in a press release. Although no human cases of West Nile virus have been identified yet in Illinois this year, the positive test results indicate that the virus is in the area and residents should take precautions to protect themselves from mosquitoes, according to the release.

The best way to prevent West Nile disease or any other mosquito-borne illness is to reduce the number of mosquitoes around the home and to take personal precautions to avoid mosquito bites, officials said.

Officials in the Aurora area have offered a number of tips to avoid mosquito bites. When outdoors, people should wear shoes and socks, long pants and a long-sleeved shirt, and apply insect repellent that includes DEET, picaridin or oil of lemon eucalyptus according to label instructions, according to officials.

Also, area officials said residents should make sure doors and windows have tight-fitting screens, and to change water in birdbaths weekly. Residents should also properly maintain wading pools and stock ornamental ponds with fish.

People should avoid being outdoors when mosquitoes are most active, especially between dusk and dawn, according to officials.

While most people infected with West Nile virus do not develop any symptoms, the majority of those who do develop a fever with other symptoms such as headache, body aches, joint pains, vomiting, diarrhea or rash, Kendall County officials said.

Most people impacted by West Nile virus recover completely, but fatigue and weakness can last for weeks or months, according to the release. In few cases, people who are infected develop a severe illness affecting the central nervous system and can have symptoms which include high fever, headache, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, vision loss, numbness and paralysis, potentially leading to death, officials said.

Severe illness can occur in people of any age, however, people over 60 years old are at greater risk for severe illness if they are infected.

People with certain medical conditions, such as cancer, diabetes, hypertension, kidney disease and people who have received organ transplants are also at greater risk, according to the release.

For more information on West Nile virus, call the Environmental Health Unit at the Kendall County Health Department at 630-553-8026 or go to the Illinois Department of Public Health’s website at www.idph.state.il.us/envhealth/wnv.htm.