Community Corner
West Nile Virus Case Reported in Tri-Cities
Kane County's second human case of mosquito-borne illness this year was in Batavia, and prompts renewed warnings about taking precautions against mosquitoes.
The Kane County Health Department has recorded its second case of West Nile virus this season after a 16-year-old Batavia girl reported feeling ill last month but was not hospitalized. She since has recovered.
This is the second case reported in Kane County. The first case was a 64-year-old Elgin man who died last month, the department states in a release.
The hot and dry summer this year has produced the perfect combination of conditions for the Culex mosquito, the species that is known to carry the virus, and the department said in its release that it is likely there will be more activity before the season is over. The Health Department monitors for West Nile virus activity throughout the county. Visit http://kanehealth.com/wnv_surveillance.htm to view a map of the trap locations throughout the county.
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Kane County reported one human case of West Nile virus in 2011, five cases in 2010 and none in 2009, an unusually mild summer with cool temperatures, the release states. There were three cases of the virus reported in 2008, 13 in 2007, four in 2006, 17 in 2005, two in 2004, none in 2003 and nine in 2002. More West Nile information can be found at http://kanehealth.com/west_nile.htm.
West Nile virus is transmitted through the bite of a mosquito that has picked up the virus by feeding on an infected bird, according to the Health Department. Most people with the virus have no clinical symptoms of illness, but some may become ill three to 14 days after the bite of an infected mosquito. Only about two persons out of 10 who are bitten by an infected mosquito will experience any illness. Illness from West Nile is usually mild and includes fever, headache and body aches, but serious illness, such as encephalitis and meningitis, and death are possible. Persons older than 50 years of age have the highest risk of severe disease.
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The best way to prevent West Nile disease or any other mosquito-borne illness is to reduce the number of mosquitoes around your home and to take personal precautions to avoid mosquito bites. The Health Department advises precautions such as:
Avoid being outdoors when mosquitoes are most active, especially between dusk and dawn. Use prevention methods whenever mosquitoes are present.
When outdoors, wear shoes and socks, long pants and a long-sleeve shirt, and apply insect repellent that includes DEET, picaridin or oil of lemon eucalyptus according to label instructions. Consult a physician before using repellents on infants.
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, especially at night.
Change water in birdbaths weekly. Properly maintain wading pools and stock ornamental ponds with fish. Cover rain barrels with 16-mesh wire screen. In communities where there are organized mosquito control programs, contact your municipal government to report areas of stagnant water in roadside ditches, flooded yards and similar locations that may produce mosquitoes.
The release states that additional information about West Nile virus can be found on the Kane County Health Department’s website at www.kanehealth.com/west_nile.htm or the Illinois Department of Public Health’s website at www.idph.state.il.us/envhealth/wnv.htm. People also can call the IDPH West Nile virus hot line at 1-866-369-9710 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
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