Local West Nile virus surveillance program continues

[September 24, 2011]  Recently, the Illinois Department of Public Health reported that 10 people in Illinois have tested positive for West Nile virus. This includes a Cook County man in his 60s who died earlier this month. He was found to have underlying an health condition and was also diagnosed with the virus.

This is a reminder that even though it's autumn, mosquitoes can remain active when temperatures are above 60 degrees, and activity will usually persist until the first hard frost.

Because of the existing threat, the Logan County Department of Public Health reminds everyone to take precautions to eliminate breeding areas around your home and to avoid mosquito bites. Precautions to prevent mosquitoes include:

• 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-sleeved shirt, and apply insect repellent that includes DEET, picaridin or oil of lemon eucalyptus, according to label instructions. Contact a physician before using repellents on infants.

• Make sure doors and windows have tight-fitting screens. Repair or replace screens that might have tears or other openings. Try to keep doors and windows shut, especially at night.

• Eliminate all sources of standing water that can support mosquito breeding, including water in birdbaths, ponds, flower pots, wading pools, old tires and other receptacles.

• Contact your local municipal government or the Logan County Department of Public Health to report areas of stagnant water in roadside ditches, flooded yards and similar locations that may produce mosquitoes.

The health department is still monitoring mosquito activity and will continue to do so through Oct. 15. Monitoring includes the collection and submittal of dead birds to the Illinois State Laboratory for West Nile virus testing.

The Logan County Department of Public Health would appreciate your help in the monitoring. If you observe a dead or dying bird, contact the department to see if the bird is eligible for testing. Eligible birds must meet various conditions and can include crows, blue jays, robins and other perching birds that appear to have died of natural causes within the previous 24 hours.

For further information, contact the Logan County Department of Public Health at 217-735-2317.

[Text from file received from the Logan County Department of Public Health]