Fayette County is the third South Central Illinois county to have a positive test for West Nile virus.
The Fayette County Health Department is reporting a positive mosquito sample taken in Beecher City.
The Clay and Washington County Health Departments earlier had positive dead bird samples. The samples came from Flora and Nashville.
Statewide, 35 counties have now had a positive test for West Nile. So far only one human case has been reported. It was in Cook County in the Chicago area.
There were 119 human cases of West Nile reported in Illinois in 2023, up from 34 human cases in 2022. There were six human deaths last year, compared to seven in 2022.
The Illinois Department of Public Health reports there is no specific treatment for West Nile nor is there a vaccine at present. As a result, taking precautions is important. Make sure doors and windows high tight-fitting screens and eliminate, or freshen each week, all sources of standing water where mosquitoes can breed. When outdoors, wear shoes, and socks, long pants, and a light-colored long-sleeved shirt and apply an EPA-registered insect repellent. Report locations with stagnant water for more than a week. Local health department or city government may be able to add larvicide to the water, which will kill any mosquito larva.
