As it gears up for its annual testing season, the Southern Seven Health Department is warning residents to take precautions against the West Nile virus.
Describing the virus as the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in the country, health officials are warning residents to adhere to a regiment that includes making sure doors and windows are shut to keep flies out and wearing shoes, socks and long-sleeved shirts when out and about. In addition, residents are advised to avoid bare-handed contact when touching any dead animal and to use gloves or double plastic bags when disposing of any animal carcass.
While there is no vaccine for the disease, around the middle of May Southern Seven officials begin their annual trapping of mosquitoes throughout the lower seven counties in Illinois, which is slated to run through the fall.
In 2019, Southern Seven reported positive WNV pools in Union and Massac counties, with a pool being defined as the number of mosquitoes in one net collection. The virus is transmitted through the bite of a Culex pipiens mosquito, commonly known as a house mosquito, which has become infected by feeding on a sick bird.
Common symptoms of the virus include fever, nausea, headache and muscle aches that may last as long as several weeks. Most people infected with the disease fail to show symptoms.
Illnesses stemming from the disease can include meningitis or encephalitis, which in the most serious cases can end in death. People over the age of 60 and individuals with weakened immune systems are at higher risk of becoming sickest from the virus.
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