West Nile virus reported in Hinsdale, Clarendon Hills - Chicago Tribune

HINSDALEâ€"

The Illinois Department of Public Health and the DuPage County Health Department collected samples from mosquitoes in Hinsdale and Clarendon Hills that tested positive for the West Nile virus.

On May 16, Chicago Department of Public Health employees took samples from a crow that tested positive for the West Nile virus, according to a state-issued press release.

Since then, the Clarendon Blackhawk Mosquito Abatement District reported an infected bird was caught in a trap in Clarendon Hills.

"In our own facilities we are taking any measures that we can," said Randall Recklaus, Clarendon Hills village manager. "We use pesticides and try to keep the public aware with notices. People need to be educated to take the necessary precautions."

The Clarendon Blackhawk district has a larva control program that uses chemical agents in open water sources to reduce mosquito breeding and the risk of disease.

La Grange encourages all of its residents to check the Desplaines Valley Mosquito Abatement District website (desplainesvalleymad.com) for adult mosquito control plans and updates.

The state Health Department urges residents to inspect and repair damaged window screens and other openings to the home; wear long-sleeved, loose fitting and light-colored clothing as well as shoes and socks; use manufacturers' recommended amounts of insect repellant; and eliminate prolonged exposure to standing water.

In 2011, the first positive West Nile virus samples were collected June 8, according to the state Health Department. Those samples included two birds from LaSalle County. Nineteen other Illinois counties later reported West Nile-positive mosquitoes, birds and humans. Thirty-four Illinois residents contracted the virus and three of them died, the state reported.

Symptoms of the virus may include a slight fever or headache, nausea and muscle aches, and may progress rapidly to a worsened fever and aches, disorientation, tremors and convulsions. The most severe cases may experience paralysis or death, according to the state Health department.

According to literature on the IDPH website, symptoms typically occur from three to 14 days after the bite of an infected mosquito. However, four out of five people infected with West Nile virus will not show any symptoms.

The Illinois Department of Public Health takes a three-R approach to staving off West Nile-infected mosquitoes: reduce (the risk), repel (the mosquitoes) and report (symptoms).

To learn more about West Nile virus, visit the Illinois Department of Public Health website at idph.state.il.us/envhealth/wnv.htm.