Could flooding's bite be felt all summer long?

SPRINGFIELD -- Though flooding in the suburbs is receding, those waters might bring on a new danger.

"The large amount of pooled water that remains after the flood does provide a breeding ground for mosquitoes," said Tom Green, spokesman for the state's health department. "Most mosquitoes are merely pests, but some can carry communicable diseases, so people are urged to protect themselves."

In the suburbs, the Northwest Mosquito Abatement District has been working overtime spraying to reduce risk. And while there's been plenty of water in the area, so far other weather conditions have helped cut down on mosquitoes, especially the types known to carry West Nile virus.

"We've had a rather cool and windy spring here in the Chicagoland area, which kind of reduces mosquito biting," said Mike Szyska, director of the Wheeling-based mosquito control district. "They don't like to fly in high winds, or in cooler-than-normal temperatures."

However, Szyska, along with the Illinois Department of Public Health, warn that climbing temperatures combined with stagnant water left behind by flooding and heavy rains create ideal mosquito breeding conditions, particularly for the Culex species that's the most common West Nile carrier.

Public health officials urge people to remove standing water in containers such as birdbaths where mosquitoes are likely to breed. The department of public health is also helping assist with mosquito abatement by providing larvicide and grants to several communities that control the mosquito population.

For more tips on how to protect yourself from flood effects like harmful mosquitoes, read the public health department's publication "After the Flood." An electronic version is available at http://www.idph.state.il.us/pdf/AfterTheFlood.pdf.