By WMBD TV
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WMBD) — The Illinois Department of Public Health is reminding Illinoisans that warmer weather increases the risk of illnesses carried by animals and biting pests.
While enjoying the outdoors, people should take precautions to reduce their risk of contracting serious illness, according to an IDPH release.
There are three main categories of concern this year: ticks, mosquitoes and bats.
Mosquitoes and West Nile Virus
Each year, the IDPH and local health departments test mosquito samples for the presence of West Nile Virus. The first positive batches for this year were found in Cook County.
While no human cases have been reported this year, the department said in 2025, there were 150 total human cases and 10 deaths across Illinois.
West Nile is transmitted through the bite of a house mosquito that has picked up the virus by feeding on an infected bird.
Common symptoms include fever, nausea, headache and muscle aches, and they may last from a few days to a few weeks.
The IDPH said that most people infected will not show any symptoms. However, in rare cases, it can lead to severe illness including paralysis, meningitis or encephalitis (i.e., brain and nerve infections) or even death.
People older than 60 and those with weakened immune systems are at the highest risk for severe illness.
The Illinois Department of Public Health urges the public to Fight the Bite by practicing the three “R’s” – reduce, repel, and report:
- REDUCE – make sure doors and windows have tight-fitting screens. Repair or replace screens that have tears or other openings. Try to keep doors and windows shut.
- Eliminate, or refresh each week, all sources of standing water where mosquitoes can breed, including water in bird baths, ponds, flowerpots, wading pools, old tires, and any other containers.
- REPEL – when outdoors, wear shoes and socks, long pants and a light-colored, long-sleeved shirt, and apply an EPA-registered insect repellent that contains DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus, IR 3535, para-menthane-diol (PMD), or 2-undecanone according to label instructions. Consult a physician before using repellents on infants.
- REPORT – report locations where you see water sitting stagnant for more than a week such as roadside ditches, flooded yards, and similar locations that may produce mosquitoes. The local health department or city government may be able to add larvicide to the water to remove mosquito larvae.
Tick-borne Illness
Ticks can spread many potentially serious illnesses, including Lyme disease, spotted fever group rickettsiosis and ehrlichiosis.
Last year, the first confirmed case of a potentially deadly illness called the Powassan virus was diagnosed in an Illinois resident. It is unclear if the case was contracted within the state.
The IDPH said the best way to protect against tick-borne illness is to prevent bites, no matter what state you’re in.
The Department of Public Health has created an interactive Tickborne Disease Dashboard that documents the Illinois counties where different tick species have been confirmed as well as the diseases they may carry.
The following tips can be used to avoid tick-borne illnesses:
- Learn about tick removal and symptom awareness HERE.
- Walk in the center of trails. Avoid wooded, bushy areas with high grass and leaf litter. The IDPH Camper Checklist provides more details on how to protect yourself.
- Wear light-colored clothing to make ticks easier to find. Tuck long pants into socks and boots.
- Apply an EPA-registered insect repellent containing 20% DEET, picaridin, IR3535, or Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus according to label directions. The EPA has a search tool that can help you find the product that best suits your needs.
- Conduct full-body tick checks on family members (underarms, ears, belly button, behind knees, between legs, waist, hair and scalp) every two to three hours. Also check any gear or pets taken on outings. Talk to your veterinarian about how to best protect your pet from ticks.
- To kill ticks after being outdoors, put clothes in the dryer on high for 10 minutes (or one hour for damp clothes).
- Bathe or shower within two hours after coming indoors. Many tick-borne diseases can have similar signs and symptoms. If you get a tick bite and develop fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, joint pain, fatigue, or rash, within a few weeks, see your healthcare provider.
- It is often helpful to keep the tick for species identification. Place the tick in rubbing alcohol or in a sealed bag/container to bring to your healthcare provider or local health department for submission to IDPH for species identification. A submission form can be found on the IDPH website.
Rabies in Bats
The IDPH also tracks rabies in animals, which is most commonly found in bats. So far in 2026, two bats have tested positive for rabies; one in Whiteside County and the other in Sangamon County.
The greatest risk of exposure comes from bats that made their way into people’s homes. The IDPH website has information on steps you can take to keep bats out of your home.
The Department of Public Health said if you find a bat in your home, try to cover it with a container and call animal control so it can be tested for rabies.
Illinoisians should also make sure that rabies vaccinations are up to date for pets and any valuable livestock and horses for which a vaccine is available.
If a pet is exposed to a high-risk wild animal, such as a bat, skunk or coyote, owners should immediately contact a vet for advice.
People can get rabies after being bitten by an infected animal or when saliva from a rabid animal gets directly into a person’s eyes, nose, mouth or a wound.
The IDPH said bats have very small teeth, which makes their bite marks hard to see. Those finding themselves near a bat are urged not to kill or release it before calling the local health department to figure out if they have been exposed to rabies and need preventive treatment.
If the bat is available for testing and the results are negative, preventive treatment is not needed. Rabies preventive treatment may also be needed after bites from untested skunks, raccoons, foxes or coyotes.
The Department of Public Health said if you have been bitten by any animal, seek immediate medical attention. Bite wounds can become infected and if the animal is at high-risk for rabies, preventive treatment must begin as soon as possible.
WMBD TV first reported on this story. You can read the original story online at CIProud.com.
