The Henry County Health Department has confirmed its first positive West Nile virus mosquito pool of the year, collected on May 27, 2025. Officials are urging residents to protect themselves using the “Three R’s”: reduce standing water, repel mosquitoes with appropriate clothing and EPA-registered repellents, and report stagnant water to local authorities. Last year, Illinois saw 69 confirmed human cases of West Nile virus and 13 related deaths. Most people show no symptoms, but severe illness can occur, particularly in older adults and those with weakened immune systems. Details and current county surveillance numbers are available on the health department’s website.
The Henry & Stark County Health Department, in collaboration with the Illinois Department of Public Health, continues its efforts to monitor vector-borne diseases in our region. Mosquitoes are captured using specialized gravid traps and tested for West Nile Virus with a rapid diagnostic assay. Recent test results show that eight mosquito pools in Allendale and eighteen in Kewanee-Whispering Oaks tested negative. However, a separate batch from Kewanee-Whispering Oaks, consisting of fifty pools, tested positive for West Nile Virus. Residents are urged to take precautions to protect themselves from mosquito bites as surveillance runs from May through October.
“The news of the first batch of mosquitos carrying West Nile virus is a reminder for local residents to begin protecting themselves from diseases caused by mosquito and tick bites,” note Department Officials. “The best defense against West Nile virus is to practice the ‘Three R’s’: reduce, repel, and report’. IDPH urges everyone, and especially those who are older or have weakened immune systems, to ‘Fight the Bite’ and protect themselves and their families from mosquitoes and the viruses they carry.”
IDPH urges the public to Fight the Bite by practicing the three “R’s” – reduce, repel, and report:
- REDUCE – make sure doors and windows have tight-fitting screens. Repair or replace screens that have tears or other openings. Try to keep doors and windows shut.
Eliminate, or refresh each week, all sources of standing water where mosquitoes can breed, including water in bird baths, ponds, flowerpots, wading pools, old tires, and any other containers. - REPEL – when outdoors, wear shoes and socks, long pants and a light-colored, long-sleeved shirt, and apply an EPA-registered insect repellent that contains DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus, IR 3535, para-menthane-diol (PMD), or 2-undecanone according to label instructions. Consult a physician before using repellents on infants.
- REPORT – report locations where you see water sitting stagnant for more than a week such as roadside ditches, flooded yards, and similar locations that may produce mosquitoes. The local health department or city government may be able to add larvicide to the water, which will kill any mosquito larvae.
Health officials are urging caution as cases of West Nile virus have been reported in the region. Spread by Culex mosquitoes, commonly known as house mosquitoes, the virus is often contracted after these insects feed on infected birds. Most individuals won’t notice any symptoms, but some may experience fever, headache, nausea, or muscle aches for several days or weeks. Rarely, the virus can cause severe complications, such as meningitis or encephalitis, especially in individuals over 60 years old or those with compromised immune systems. Authorities recommend using insect repellent and removing standing water to help reduce mosquito breeding.