Livingston Co. mosquitoes test positive for West Nile, first this year

LIVINGSTON COUNTY, Ill. (WCIA) — The Livingston County Health Department said mosquito batches have tested positive for West Nile Virus in the county, the first positive test results in the county this year.

In a news release Monday morning, the health department’s Environmental Health Division said the batches that tested positive were collected near Odell. This comes after the Vermilion County Health Department announced on Friday that three mosquito batches tested positive for West Nile Virus in their county.

To avoid getting sick, the health department provided several recommendations from the Illinois Department of Public Health. This includes:

• Avoiding being outside when mosquitos are most active
• Wearing pants and long sleeves if you’re outside when mosquitoes are active
• Using bug repellent
• Reporting standing water to local governments

So far in Illinois, 42 human cases of West Nile Virus have been reported — but none of those cases have been in Central Illinois. For a full breakdown of Illinois’ West Nile surveillance, visit the IDPH’s website.