West Nile virus found in Skokie mosquitos

(John Tann/Flickr)

SKOKIE (Sun-Times Media Wire) - Mosquitos collected in north suburban Skokie have tested positive for West Nile virus.

The North Shore Mosquito Abatement District collected the positive batch of insects last week, according to a statement from the Village of Skokie. There have been no reported human cases of West Nile in Skokie so far this year, but that may change over the next few weeks.

The state’s first human case of West Nile this year was reported in late May after an adolescent in west-central Illinois became very ill, according to a statement from the Illinois Department of Public Health. The first reported human case of West Nile in 2015 was Aug. 19.

“We typically don’t start to see human cases of West Nile virus in Illinois until the end of July or beginning of August,” IDPH Director Nirav Shah said in the statement. “This first human case is much earlier this year, reminding us that it’s important to protect ourselves against mosquito bites now and not wait until the hotter months of summer.”