Mosquitoes test positive for West Nile virus near Morrison

MORRISON – Mosquitoes collected July 10 near Morrison tested positive for the West Nile virus.

Jennifer Kolb, director of environmental health for the Whiteside County Health Department, said a positive mosquito pool is significant since Culex mosquitoes have a very short flight range of about a quarter mile.

“This positive tells us for sure that there are infected mosquitoes around Morrison, putting residents at greater risk of exposure. Testing this year first identified West Nile virus in mosquitoes over a month earlier than in 2023,” she said in a news release.

West Nile virus is transmitted through the bite of a mosquito that has picked up the virus by feeding on an infected bird. Typically, August and September is when West Nile virus activity is at its highest and the threat of West Nile exposure can remain until the first frost.

“As we approach the peak season for mosquito-borne disease, it is important for the public to continue their vigilance and take some simple precautions to reduce the number of mosquitoes around their home and protect themselves from exposure. Precautions include practicing the three R’s – reduce, repel and report,” Kolb said in the release.

The health department offered these tips:

Reduce exposure

• Avoid being outdoors when mosquitoes are most active, especially between dusk and dawn.

• Make sure doors and windows have tight-fitting screens and repair or replace any with tears or openings.

• Try to keep doors and windows shut, especially at night.

• Eliminate all sources of standing water where mosquitoes can breed, including flower pots, wading pools, old tires, clogged rain gutters, old boats and any other receptacles and change the water in bird baths weekly.

Repel

• Wear shoes and socks, long pants and long-sleeved shirts when outdoors.

• Apply insect repellent that contains DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus or IR 3535, according to label instructions when outdoors. Consult a physician before using repellents on infants.

Report

• Report dead birds to the Whiteside County Health Department.

• If your community has an organized mosquito control program, contact your municipal government about areas of stagnant water in roadside ditches, flooded yards and similar locations that may produce mosquitoes.

More information about West Nile virus can be found by visiting dph.illinois.gov/topics-services/diseases-and-conditions/west-nile-virus or cdc.gov/westnile.