Champaign County goes on high alert for West Nile Virus

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — West Nile Virus has claimed its first victim in Illinois . It was an 80-year-old out of Lake County.

Now, the virus is on the rise in Central Illinois. Champaign County has been put on high alert , meaning high West Nile activity was found in area mosquito populations. It also means that human cases are probable.

“Anything that’s holding water is a breeding site for up to hundreds of mosquitoes,” said Nick Schober with Mosquito Squad, a mosquito control company.

Summertime means mosquitos, and that means business for Schober.

“Really all summer long, we’re getting calls about people wanting to eradicate mosquitoes on their property,” he said.

18 human cases have been reported in the state, including one death. And health departments are taking it seriously.

“Reduce, repel and report, fight the bite. And again, making sure that we’re eliminating the pools of water and things like that,” said Amanda Minor, the Public Health Administrator of Douglas County. “I think it’s always heightened because there is no vaccine for this. The only thing that we can do is prevention.”

That includes wearing clothing that covers arms and legs and wearing DEET bug spray to protect yourself. Health officials are also asking for your help in keeping risk factors low.

“Most of the time, if you want to start with the health department, the health department will either help reduce that or at least refer you to who needs to go check that out and get it taken care of,” Minor said.

If that’s not enough, you can bring in the big guns. Businesses like Mosquito Squad have professionals who make sure mosquitos can’t take up residence.

“It’s really like a barrier protection, is what we call it. We kind of create an external barrier and then another barrier around the home where people would like to spend time,” Schober said. “And we’re really targeting dark, damp, shaded areas where mosquitoes harbor in during the heat of the day. The underside of leaves, underneath decks.”

1 in 5 people infected with West Nile come down with symptoms. Those include fever, headaches, joint pain and nausea.

If you have been bitten by a mosquito and experience these symptoms, health officials advise talking to your primary care physician for next steps.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WCIA.com.