West Nile found in Lake County

A batch of mosquitoes sampled July 14 in Zion has tested positive for West Nile virus, the Lake County Health Department reported Friday in a news release. It is the first confirmed indicator of West Nile presence in Lake County in 2017, the release stated. There were two confirmed human cases of the virus in Lake County in 2016, said Mark Pfister, the health department's executive director. Michael Adam, the department's senior biologist, said the floodwater mosquitoes now hatching do not carry West Nile virus. A greater concern is standing water - in items such as buckets, gutters and plant containers, debris from flood cleanup, and other items holding water around homes and businesses - can become breeding sites for Culex mosquitoes, which are the primary carriers of West Nile.