9 positive West Nile virus samples now reported in Will County

WILL COUNTY, Ill. - Two more mosquito samples have tested positive for West Nile virus in Will County, making them the eighth and ninth batches to test positive for the virus in the county this year.

The latest samples were taken from a trap located in Crete and another near Sunny Hill Nursing Home in Joliet, the Will County Health Department said. Other positive samples were taken from traps located in Lockport, Plainfield, Monee, Manhattan and Joliet.

In late July, the Illinois Department of Public Health reported the year’s first confirmed human case of West Nile virus in the state. A Chicago man in his 70s came down with the illness, IDPH said.

Cook and DuPage Counties have also found mosquitos that tested positive for West Nile this year, WCHD said in a previous statement.

In 2018, four human cases were reported in Will County and 176 were reported around the state — 17 of which were fatal, according to WCHD and IDPH.

West Nile virus is passed from infected birds to humans through the bite of the Culex mosquito, WCHD said. Health authorities advise people to wear long-sleeved clothing and insect repellent with DEET during the peak mosquito hours of dusk to dawn.

Additionally, WCHD recommends people remove standing water from their property since mosquitos are known to lay eggs in places such as gutters, birdbaths and kiddie pools.

West Nile can include fever, headache, body aches and swollen lymph nodes, WCHD said. Seniors, young children and people with weakened immune systems are particularly at risk.