More mosquitoes test positive for West Nile
August 1, 2012 2:28PM
West Nile virus and mosquitoes.
Updated: September 3, 2012 1:20PM
JOLIET — Mosquito monitoring sites operated by the Will County Health Department and the Illinois Department of Public Health confirmed the presence of West Nile virus in 12 samples collected during the last two weeks of July.
Two Bolingbrook sites operated by Will County Environmental Health generated virus-positive mosquito batches Monday.
Additional specimens collected the same day from Will County sites in Homer Glen, Lockport and Crete also yielded virus-positive samples.
On Friday, two sites in Joliet produced virus-positive samples. Health department sites have generated 17 virus-positive mosquito samples since June 20, including at least four from Bolingbrook locations.
Northern Will County monitoring sites operated by the Illinois Department of Public Health have also been busy. A state site in Bolingbrook has produced three positive mosquito samples, and a site in Naperville tested two virus-positive mosquito batches.
Hot, dry weather is considered to be a trigger for mosquito-borne West Nile virus. Illinois is experiencing one of the hottest summers ever recorded, with at least 30 days of 90-degree temperatures already on the books.
No human West Nile infections have been reported from Will County, but two cases from suburban Cook County have been identified.
