Chicago (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – Two batches of mosquitos in Illinois have tested positive for the West Nile virus.  The Illinois Department of Public Health announced Friday the batches were found in Morgan County and Cook County. The Morgan County batch was found May 16 in Jacksonville.

“The report of the first two batches to test positive for West Nile virus serves as a timely reminder for Illinoisans to begin protecting themselves from vector-borne diseases,” said IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra. “It is important for everyone – and especially older people and those with weakened immune systems – to safeguard themselves and their families from mosquitoes and the viruses they carry by wearing insect repellent and eliminating standing water around their home. You can ‘Fight the Bite’ by practicing the three R’s – reduce, repel, and report.”

IDPH reports common symptoms of West Nile virus include fever, nausea, headache and muscle aches, with symptoms lasting a few days to a few weeks.  However, in rare cases, it can cause meningitis, encephalitis, or even death.

Last year, 67 Illinois counties reported a West Nile virus positive mosquito batch, bird, horse, and/or human case, up from 44 counties in 2022, according to IDPH. Last year, there were 119 human cases of West Nile virus and six deaths reported in Illinois, according to provisional data, compared to 33 human cases and seven deaths in 2022. IDPH notes human cases are underreported and do not reflect the actual number of cases.

IDPH encourages the public to Fight the Bite by practicing the three “R’s” – reduce, repel, and report:

  • 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 shut.  Eliminate, or refresh each week, all sources of standing water where mosquitoes can breed, including water in bird baths, ponds, flowerpots, wading pools, old tires, and any other containers.
  • REPEL-when 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, oil of lemon eucalyptus, IR 3535, para-menthane-diol (PMD), or 2-undecanone according to label instructions. Consult a physician before using repellents on infants.
  • REPORT– report locations to your local health department where you see water sitting stagnant for more than a week such as roadside ditches, flooded yards, and similar locations that may produce mosquitoes. The local health department or city government may be able to add larvicide to the water, which will kill any mosquito larvae.