Mosquitoes carrying West Nile virus found in DuPage

The season's first batch of mosquitoes carrying the West Nile virus has been found in DuPage County, health department officials said.

The department, which does routine testing of traps starting May 1 to detect the virus, found the infected mosquitoes in Lisle, spokesman David Hass said Tuesday.

"The health department has about 70 locations where we trap mosquitoes," he said.

He said the department will work with Lisle to distribute information about abatement efforts.

"We'll probably be getting dozens, if not hundreds, of reports like this (throughout the summer)," he said.

Hass recommends residents use insect repellent when outside for long periods of time and wear long sleeves when out from dusk to dawn.

Any standing water should be eliminated to avoid providing breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

"We ask people to be very cautious about their activities," he said. "Those three things go a long way toward keeping people safe."

Hass said the cool, wet weather actually will be a good deterrent for the culex mosquito that carries West Nile.

For details on West Nile, call the DuPage County Health Department at (630) 682-7400 or visit dupagehealth.org.