The Logan County Department Of Public
Health urges you to “fight the bite”
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[May 19, 2023]
With
the arrival of warm weather, mosquitoes are becoming active thus
increasing the threat of mosquito-related diseases such as West Nile
Virus (WNV). West Nile encephalitis is an infection of the brain caused
by WNV which is transmitted by the bite of mosquitoes. During warm
weather months, the Logan County Department of Public Health (LCDPH)
urges the public to take precautions to eliminate breeding areas around
homes 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 bird baths, ponds, flowerpots, 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.
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If you are bitten by a mosquito, there is no reason
to be tested for WNV since illnesses related to mosquito bites are
rare. However, if you develop symptoms such as high fever,
confusion, muscle weakness or severe headache, you should see your
doctor. LCDPH, through a grant
from the Illinois Department of Public Health, began monitoring
mosquito activity on May 15th and will continue through October
15th. Monitoring includes the collection and submittal of dead birds
to the Illinois State Laboratory for WNV testing. As part of the
monitoring process, LCDPH would appreciate the public’s help. If you
observe a bird that has been dead less then 24 hours and appears to
have died of natural causes, please contact the health dept to see
if it qualifies for testing.
In addition to collecting birds, the health department will be
trapping and testing pools of mosquitos to identify WNV activity
during much of the summer. If you observe these traps in residential
and rural areas, please do not touch the traps as it could affect
accurate testing. If you have questions regarding prevention of
mosquito-related diseases, eliminating breeding sites, or would like
more general information, you can contact the Logan County
Department of Public Health at 217-735-2317 or you can visit their
website at WWW.LCDPH.ORG.
Information Source: Illinois Department of Public Health
[Don Cavi, MS, LEHP
Public Health Administrator
Logan County Department of Public Health]
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