West Nile Virus Exercise in DuPage County
well being alert
DUPAGE COUNTY – A rise in mosquito samples all through the county which have examined optimistic for West Nile Virus (WNV) prompts the DuPage County Well being Division (DCHD) to remind residents to guard themselves from mosquito bites and the chance of contracting WNV.
The important thing components in figuring out how lively West Nile Virus is are temperatures and rainfall. In sizzling, dry climate, the mosquitoes that transmit West Nile virus (primarily culex mosquitoes) breed in areas with standing water, equivalent to sinks, ditches, birdbaths, flower pots, and buckets, the place mosquitoes multiply quickly.
“As folks spend extra time outside having fun with the top of summer time, DCHD reminds everybody to guard themselves and their households from mosquitoes and West Nile Virus,” stated Karen Ayala, Govt Director of the Division of Well being.
Defend your self, your loved ones, and forestall mosquitoes from breeding round your house by following the “four Ds of Protection”:
- Drain: Drain objects that accumulate standing water round your house, backyard, or enterprise. Scrub and refill pet water dishes and birdbaths often (no less than weekly).
- Defend: Use an insect repellant containing DEET when outside and reapply as directed.
- Put on: Put on lengthy pants, lengthy sleeves, and closed footwear when exterior to cowl pores and skin.
- Nightfall to Daybreak: Use repellent outside throughout these instances of peak mosquito exercise.
Residents ought to test the Private Safety Index (PPI) on the DuPage County Well being Division web site for present WNV exercise. To view the PPI web page, go to: https://www.dupagehealth.org/243/Private-Safety-Index.
The PPI ranges in danger degree from zero to 3, with zero being no exercise and three reflecting a number of human instances of WNV in DuPage County.
The present degree is 1: “Localized abundance of lively mosquitoes, favorable weather conditions for the event of the virus”. The really useful actions are:
- Drain objects that accumulate standing water round your house, backyard, or enterprise. Scrub and refill pet water dishes and birdbaths often.
- Struggle again: Use an insect repellant containing DEET when outside and reapply as directed.
The PPI is up to date each Wednesday at three:00 pm throughout the WNV season by the Division of Well being’s vector-borne illness surveillance specialists.
Many neighborhood companions, together with townships, townships, and park districts, even have the PPI widget posted on their dwelling pages.
WNV exercise usually decreases within the fall when cooler temperatures arrive and particularly after the primary frost of the season. Extra info on WNV prevention is on the market at https://www.cdc.gov/westnile/prevention/index.html and https://dph.illinois.gov/topics-services/diseases-and-conditions/west- nile-virus.html.
###
