West Nile Virus Found In Mosquito In Mokena: Officials

MOKENA, IL — The Will County Health Department on Friday announced that it has confirmed a positive West Nile virus test from a trap in the Village of Mokena. The trap was collected Tuesday, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.

No human cases of West Nile virus have been reported yet this year, health officials said.

The positive West Nile virus test is the sixth in Will County, according to IDPH. A positive test also came from traps in Mokena May 17.

Positive West Nile virus tests have also been detected three times in Bolingbrook and once in Joliet, according to IDPH.

IDPH has so far this year reported 406 positive West Nile virus cases across 18 counties, according to information on its website.

West Nile virus usually causes mild, flu-like symptoms. Around 80 percent of people infected with West Nile virus do not develop any symptoms, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The approximately 20 percent who do develop symptoms experience headaches, body aches, joint pains, vomiting, diarrhea and/or rashes.

But, around 1 in 150 people who are infected develop a severe illness that affects the central nervous system, such as inflammation of the brain or inflammation of the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord, according to the CDC.

State health officials remind residents to practice the three Rs: 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, or IR 3535 according to label instructions. Consult a physician before using repellents on infants.

REPORT — report locations 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.

Additional information about West Nile virus can be found on the Illinois Department of Public Health website.

• Related: First West Nile Case In Mosquitoes Reported In Will County: Officials