Post by title1parent on Jul 23, 2010 5:26:45 GMT -5
www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=395859&src=76
Conditions ripe for West Nile comeback
By James Fuller | Daily Herald 7/23/2010
Illinois had more human cases and deaths from West Nile virus in 2002 than any other state in America. Since then, the number of human cases has slowed to a trickle.
There haven't been any human cases yet this year in Illinois. And Kane County hasn't had a human infected with West Nile since 2008.
The outbreak that was once a public health concern on the level of the recent H1N1 infections may have died down, but health department officials said Thursday conditions are ripe for mosquito-borne illness to make a comeback.
Two birds found in the Pingree Grove area tested positive for West Nile last week, followed by a positive test of a pool of mosquitoes in Aurora. And a change in the weather is creating a mosquito soup, said Paul Kuehnert, executive director of the Kane County Health Department.
"We saw a lot of rain in May and June that may have left pools of standing water," Kuehnert said in a written statement. "Along with the sweltering temperatures we've been seeing, it creates the perfect soup for the mosquito to lay her eggs. All of our residents should take a look around their yards to identify these potential breeding grounds and eliminate sources of standing water."
Health Department spokesman Tom Schlueter said the first animal cases of West Nile tend to crop up about this time every year since the virus came on the scene. Schlueter said there are several possible reasons why there haven't been any human cases in some time. One reason may be that people just don't know when they've been infected. Most people bitten by a mosquito with West Nile never experience any symptoms. Once bitten, humans acquire an immunity to the virus. Illinois residents have had nine years of bites to build an immunity through the population.
Schlueter said the mosquitoes with the virus also seem to be traveling west since they first appeared in New York. So the special mosquito that tends to carry the virus may be less common in the local area now. That said, the recent positive tests of birds and mosquito pools have the health department watching closely to see what happens next.
"Keep your fingers crossed that the virus does come back," Schlueter said. "We've got the perfect mix of hot temperatures and stagnant water right now."
Conditions ripe for West Nile comeback
By James Fuller | Daily Herald 7/23/2010
Illinois had more human cases and deaths from West Nile virus in 2002 than any other state in America. Since then, the number of human cases has slowed to a trickle.
There haven't been any human cases yet this year in Illinois. And Kane County hasn't had a human infected with West Nile since 2008.
The outbreak that was once a public health concern on the level of the recent H1N1 infections may have died down, but health department officials said Thursday conditions are ripe for mosquito-borne illness to make a comeback.
Two birds found in the Pingree Grove area tested positive for West Nile last week, followed by a positive test of a pool of mosquitoes in Aurora. And a change in the weather is creating a mosquito soup, said Paul Kuehnert, executive director of the Kane County Health Department.
"We saw a lot of rain in May and June that may have left pools of standing water," Kuehnert said in a written statement. "Along with the sweltering temperatures we've been seeing, it creates the perfect soup for the mosquito to lay her eggs. All of our residents should take a look around their yards to identify these potential breeding grounds and eliminate sources of standing water."
Health Department spokesman Tom Schlueter said the first animal cases of West Nile tend to crop up about this time every year since the virus came on the scene. Schlueter said there are several possible reasons why there haven't been any human cases in some time. One reason may be that people just don't know when they've been infected. Most people bitten by a mosquito with West Nile never experience any symptoms. Once bitten, humans acquire an immunity to the virus. Illinois residents have had nine years of bites to build an immunity through the population.
Schlueter said the mosquitoes with the virus also seem to be traveling west since they first appeared in New York. So the special mosquito that tends to carry the virus may be less common in the local area now. That said, the recent positive tests of birds and mosquito pools have the health department watching closely to see what happens next.
"Keep your fingers crossed that the virus does come back," Schlueter said. "We've got the perfect mix of hot temperatures and stagnant water right now."