THE FOLLOWING IS A VERMILION COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT RELEASE
Mosquito batches collected in the Danville, rural Fairmount and Ridge Farm areas have been the first samples to test positive for the West Nile virus this year in Vermilion County. The Vermilion County Health Department has collected 60 samples of mosquitoes since May.
Each year during the months of May through the end of September, Environmental Health staff members set mosquito traps throughout the county. The trapped mosquitos are then collected and tested for the West Nile Virus. Currently, the Department has 16 traps set up throughout the county.
“We typically observe an increase in positive mosquito samples as summer progresses, so if you haven’t started protecting yourself yet, now is the time,” said Jana Messmore, Director of Environmental Health. “If you observe standing water, which could be a potential mosquito breeding ground, reach out to the health department so it can be properly addressed.”
Symptoms of West Nile Virus can include a fever, body aches, joint pains, headaches, vomiting, diarrhea, or a rash, and can last up to several weeks. The Center for Disease Control says that only 1 in 5 people infected with the virus develop symptoms, and less than 1 percent of them develop severe or fatal neurological illness.
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) reports that as of Sept. 5, 2025, there have been 42 human cases of West Nile Virus in Illinois. Of the 14,175 samples collected in the state, 24.3% have tested positive for the virus. So far, 64 of the 102 counties in Illinois have reported West Nile Virus positive mosquito batches or human cases.
Taking some simple precautions can help you avoid mosquito bites, regardless of the type of mosquito or the diseases they carry. Precautions that the Illinois Department of Public Health recommends include the practice of the three “R”s – reduce, repel, report.
* REDUCE exposure – avoid being outdoors when mosquitoes are most active, especially between dusk and dawn.
* 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, especially at night.
* Eliminate all sources of standing water where mosquitoes can breed, including water in bird baths, ponds, flowerpots, wading pools, old tires and any other receptacles.
* REPEL – when outdoors, wear shoes and socks, long pants and a long-sleeved shirt, and apply insect repellent that contains DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus or IR 3535, according to label instructions. Consult a physician before using repellents on infants.
* REPORT – In communities where there are organized mosquito control programs, contact your municipal government to report areas of stagnant water in roadside ditches, flooded yards and similar locations that may produce mosquitoes.
