Mosquito carrying West Nile virus found in Madison County, Illinois

Granite City, Illinois (KMOV) – News 4 warns people of Metro East about health precautions. The Madison County Health Department randomly tested mosquito populations in various areas of the county and found mosquitoes that tested positive for the presence of West Nile virus.

Mosquitoes that tested positive were tested in the Wilson Park area of ​​Granite City. City officials are now urging local residents to take precautionary measures.

Try these 4 D’s to avoid mosquito bites:

Deet: Use an insect repellent that contains DEET as an active ingredient.

dress: Wear long, loose-fitting clothing and light-colored clothing outdoors.

drain: Mosquitoes can lay eggs in and around your home, so it’s important to drain them.

From Dawn to Dusk: Mosquitoes are most active during this time, so you should limit your time outdoors to the dawn and dusk hours.

John and Cheryl Birdsong have lived across the street from Wilson Park in Granite City for 25 years.

“Mosquito bites are bad enough, but when you hear the West Nile in that conversation, it doesn’t feel good,” John says. “I have diabetes. She has health issues. Clearly a concern.”

In a letter to the community, the mayor of Granite City said the most effective treatment to stop this infestation was to kill the larvae in standing water rather than spraying insecticides. there is The insecticide spray kills only the mosquitoes it comes in contact with. “A nebulizer is the most expensive method and the results are not considered a cost,” he said.

“I think the sprayers will kill the adults and the ones that fly around and bite people,” Cheryl says.

“In my opinion, cost should not be a consideration,” says John.

According to the CDC, about one in five people infected with West Nile virus will have fever, headache, body aches and vomiting.

When it rains, parts of the park fill with stagnant water, according to birdsong.

Rottler Pest Solutions’ Jay Everitt says you need to remove standing water near your home, such as changing the water in pet bowls and bird tanks regularly.

“Doing this every three to five days keeps you ahead of the curve,” says Everitt. “They can’t live without that water, but it usually takes five to 10 days to actually go from egg to adult.”

The Birdsongs say they try to limit the amount of time they spend outside.

“I don’t go out much after about 7:00, and then I don’t go out until late in the morning,” says John.

Cheryl and John said their grandchildren had already had severe reactions to bug bites, and their positive mosquito tests added to their concerns.

“We as grandparents are going to protect them as best we can,” says John. “Kids obviously want to be outside, play and run around, but that doesn’t happen as the evening approaches.”

News 4 has also reached out to other health departments in Metro and Metro East.

The St. Clair County Health Department said they have routinely tested for mosquitoes during the summer and had two positive tests in June. The Department of Health told News4 that it is providing local governments with larvicides to treat stagnant water.

In Missouri, St. Charles said it had no positive cases of West Nile virus, but sent details of tests done in the county.

Staff at the Environmental Health Conservation Division of the St. Charles County Public Health Department are working hard to combat mosquitoes. Homeowners are encouraged to participate in efforts to eradicate pests before they become a nuisance and spread disease.

“Mosquito control is done year-round, but during the warmer months, when mosquitoes are most active, we will be more proactive in treating mosquitoes and stepping up our efforts to meet their needs and concerns,” said the Director of Environmental Health and Protection. said Ryan Tilley of .

Homeowners also play an important role in reducing mosquitoes in their communities, Tilly said. Mosquitoes mostly stay within a few miles of their breeding grounds, so denying them access to the standing water they use to breed can make a big difference in the immediate area, Tilly said.

“Regularly cleaning your gutters is the best thing you can do to help, like any other stagnant water problem,” Tilly said. “Unused pools, bird baths, and water bodies without running water can all become mosquito habitats if not cleaned regularly.”

In 2022, county officials spent 103 hours treating mosquito breeding sites with larvae and traveled 339 miles to spray adult mosquitoes with pesticides. Tilly says the most effective way to reduce mosquito populations is to remove or treat standing water where mosquitoes breed.

“Targeting developing larvae in water is most effective and more environmentally friendly than spraying,” says Tilly. “When choosing sites to apply larvicides, we look for stagnant water in publicly accessible areas such as drains and reservoirs, especially those with a history of high activity.”

When adult mosquitoes pose a significant nuisance or threat to local public health, department personnel use truck-mounted insecticide sprayers to depopulate the area. The St. Charles County Mosquito Repellent Service is provided in unincorporated St. Charles County, Augusta, Cottleville, Dardennes Prairie, Flinthill, Lake St. Louis, Porter Judes, St. Paul, Weldon Springs, Weldon Spring Heights, Wentz contracted with the building.Residents of those areas can access online sccmo.org/mosquito To request service, please click the “Notify Staff of Mosquito Concerns” link.

The cities of O’Fallon, St. Charles, and St. Peters have their own mosquito control programs. Residents of these cities should contact their respective city offices with any concerns regarding treatment.

For more information, Click here for CDC.

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