Winnebago County Health Dept. reports one West Nile Virus positive mosquito pool

The Winnebago County Health Department announced that they have one positive mosquito pool with West Nile Virus (WNV) in the 61073 Zip Code, which is in the Roscoe area. There are no human cases to report.
“At this time, WNV is presumed to be present throughout Winnebago County, and appropriate precautions should be taken to protect yourself and family members from being bitten by an infected mosquito, ” said Winnebago County Health Department’s Environmental Health Director, Todd Marshall.
The best way to prevent West Nile virus or any other mosquito-borne illness is to reduce the number of mosquitoes around your home and to take personal precautions to avoid mosquito bites. Precautions include practicing the three “R’s” – reduce, repel and 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. Mosquitoes can breed in a capful of water.
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 insect repellents on infants.
REPORT – to report a dead bird who may have

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