A culex tarsalis female mosquito that was caught in a trap will be tested for the presence of the West Nile virus. (Photo by Jeff Topping/Getty Images)
Don't Miss This
BUFFALO GROVE, Ill. (CBS) — Buffalo Grove is the latest Chicago suburb where West Nile mosquitoes have been discovered.
The mosquito pool sampled on Aug. 4 is the first presence of West Nile so far this year in Lake County.
In 2010, one person and 29 mosquito pools tested positive for the virus in the county, a release from the Lake County Health Department said.
So far this year, two people in the greater Chicago area have been stricken with West Nile. A South Holland man in his 20s and a Palatine man in his 80s have both come down with the virus.
Illinois Department of Public Health spokeswoman Melanie Arnold said last week that this is the 11th year the Chicago area has had to contend with West Nile, and although deaths and confirmed cases are way down from the first couple of years, she said West Nile-infected mosquitoes should not be taken for granted.
“Wear insect repellant when you go outside,” she said. As far as your house, get ride of any standing water around your house.”
That, she said, is where the mosquitoes breed.
Symptoms include persistent fever, headache and body aches that do not diminish over several days.
The Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.
