By Connor Boyd
BLOOMINGTON – The start of warmer weather means that mosquito season is officially here. Starting May 1 the Illinois Department of Public Health began accepting birds to test for the West Nile Virus.
IDPH Director Nirav Shah said that since the first cases of West Nile in Illinois started in 2002, 2,137 people have been infected, including 133 deaths. However, only a small minority of those with the virus will see symptoms.
“Less than one percent of individuals that are infected will have more serious conditions,” Shah said. “The very old, the very young or, for example, individuals who may have had an organ transplant and their immune system is a little bit shutdown.”
Dr. Shah says that it’s hard to determine how destructive the virus may be.
“The drier and hotter the weather is, the worse the West Nile Virus tends to be,” Shah said. “So, whether its going to be as big an issue in Illinois this year really depends on what kind of weather we’ve got. Which, as everyone knows, is difficult to predict.”
Shah adds that it’s important not to be complacent or desensitized by the 13 year history of the virus. People need to continue to police their own homes to ensure the virus does not spread.
“Reduce your overall exposure; avoid being outdoors when mosquitoes are most active, you can make sure the screens on your doors andantinos are tighter and most importantly you can eliminate any instances of standing water in your yard.”
Shah reminds everyone that applying repellent containing DEET is essential, and dead birds should be reported to your local health department.
The Illinois Department of Public Health has discovered a batch of mosquitoes that tested positive for the virus in O’Fallon this week, but so far, no human cases have been detected.
Connor Boyd can be reached at [email protected].
