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.
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• 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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