UPDATE: The LaSalle County Health Department confirmed that a crow in LaSalle tested positive for West Nile virus. The bird was collected and tested on July 25.
Mosquitoes in Ottawa have tested positive for West Nile virus, according to the LaSalle County Health Department. A batch of mosquitoes was collected from the Ottawa area on July 21, and Environmental Health staff conducted tests that confirmed the insects were infected.
In LaSalle County, West Nile has been found in Marseilles, LaSalle, Utica and Ottawa.
Mosquitoes pick up the virus by biting infected birds then the insects transmit the disease when biting humans.
Common symptoms of the virus include fever, nausea, headache and muscle aches. These symptoms may last from a few days to a few weeks. Many infected individuals will be asymptomatic, but in rare cases, the virus can lead to severe illness. People older than 60 and those with weakened immune symptoms are at a higher risk for severe illness from West Nile virus.
The LaSalle County Health Department suggests using the three “R’s” (reduce, repel, report) to prevent the spread of West Nile.
- Reduce: Make sure doors and windows have tight-fitting screens. Repair or replace screens that are damaged. Keep windows and doors shut. Remove or refresh sources of standing water where mosquitoes can breed, including water in bird baths, ponds, flowerpots, pet bowls and rain gutters
- Repel: When outdoors, wear shoes and socks, long pants and a long-sleeved shirt. Apply an EPA-registered insect repellent that contains DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus, IR 3535, para-menthane-diol (PMD) or 2-undecanoe.
- Report: Report locations where you see water sitting stagnant for more than a week such as roadside ditches, flooded yards, old tires, stagnant pools 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.
For more information, visit the LaSalle County Health Department’s website at lasallecountyil.gov.