First Human Case Of West Nile Virus Detected In Will County

JOLIET, Ill. – The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) announced the first human case of West Nile Virus (WNV) in Will County. The affected individual is a resident in their 70s who began to feel symptoms in July. The Will County Health Department’s Environmental Health Division has also reported that mosquito batches in 10 different Will County communities have tested positive for WNV this summer.

So far in 2024, there have been 1,318 WNV-positive mosquito batches and 25 positive birds from 53 counties throughout the state. In Will County, mosquitoes trapped in Joliet, Homer Glen, Shorewood, Lockport, Manhattan, New Lenox, Bolingbrook, Mokena, Frankfort and Plainfield have tested positive for WNV this summer. Additionally, the first dead bird to test positive for WNV was collected in Crest Hill.

Because there is no vaccine available to prevent West Nile virus, it is important to avoid mosquito bites.

IDPH encourages 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, or IR 3535 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, which will kill any mosquito larvae.