Above / Be mindful of places where water collects after a heavy downpour and hope it evaporates quickly to prevent mosquitoes from laying their eggs in as little as a teaspoon of water that might collect on the cupped leaf of a plant. (Photo Wikamedia Commons)
Update / City reminds residents to take precautions to reduce mosquitoes after mosquito trap tests positive for West Nile Virus weeks of Aug. 20, 27 and Sept. 3, 2021.
The DuPage County Health Department has notified the City of a confirmed human case of the West Nile virus in Naperville. The adult male who contracted the virus was infected in August, and lives in east Naperville. The City of Naperville continuously monitors and tests its 10 mosquito traps each week to check for any that could be carrying harmful viruses.
One trap on Shagbark Court tested positive for West Nile Virus the weeks of Aug. 20, 27, and Sept. 3. Since that time, City crews have sprayed the area as a precaution, checked the area for breeding sites and re-treated area catch basins.
To help control the mosquito population in Naperville, City crews inspect for and remove standing water and treat ponds, marsh areas and catch basins throughout the City with chemicals. City crews also monitor the mosquito population on a weekly basis through the use of mosquito traps to evaluate the effectiveness of larval control, provide early warnings for when adult populations are rising and also test for West Nile Virus. When necessary, the City will utilize spraying to control the population of adult mosquitoes. In these cases, the City uses the safest chemicals available in very low volumes and sprays only as needed.
West Nile Virus is a mosquito-borne virus that is transmitted through the bite of a mosquito that has picked up the virus by feeding on an infected bird. Most people who are infected with the West Nile Virus have no symptoms or experience very mild symptoms three to 14 days after the bite of an infected mosquito.
Mild symptoms include a fever, headache and body aches, occasionally with a skin rash on the trunk of the body and swollen lymph glands. Less than 1 percent of infected people with West Nile Virus will develop severe symptoms. Persons older than 50 years of age have the highest risk of severe disease.
Follow Four Ds of Defense now through October
Protect yourself, protect your family and prevent mosquitoes from breeding around your home.
- Drain: Drain items that collect standing water around your home, yard or business. Scrub and refill pet water dishes and bird baths regularly.
- Defend: Use an insect repellent containing DEET when outdoors and reapply according to directions.
- Dress: Wear long pants, long sleeves and closed-toe shoes when outside to cover the skin.
- Dawn to Dusk: Wear repellent outdoors during these prime times for mosquito activity.
Residents should check the Personal Protection Index (PPI) on the DuPage County Health Department’s website for the current WNV activity.
To view the PPI page, visit: www.dupagehealth.org/243/Personal-Protection-Index.
The PPI ranges in risk level from zero-to-three, with zero being no activity and three announcing multiple human cases of WNV in DuPage County.
Recommended actions
West Nile Virus activity generally decreases in the fall when cooler temperatures arrive and especially after the first frost of the season.
For more information, visit www.naperville.il.us/mosquitocontrol.
Update submitted by Liz Meil Communications Specialist | City Manager’s Office for the City of Naperville.
