Credit: IDPH

"Although Fall is only a couple weeks away, people need to stay vigilant and protect themselves against West Nile virus,” said Dr. Damon T. Arnold, state public health director.

"These birds testing positive for West Nile virus serve as a reminder that mosquitoes are still active and you should take precautions such as wearing insect repellent and getting rid of any standing water around your home."

The Sangamon County Health Department reported the positive sparrow was found on Aug. 25 in Illiopolis and Peoria County reported that a positive Blue Jay was collected in Peoria on August 29.

So far, West Nile virus has been reported in 18 counties in birds, mosquitoes, horses or humans.   This year five people have tested positive for the virus compared to 101 in 46 counties last year including 4 deaths.

 As of September 2 this year, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has received reports of 413 cases of West Nile virus including five deaths from the infection, one in Arizona and the other in Mississippi, two in California and the fifth in New York.    The real number can be much higher because the state and local governments need some time to file reports to the agency.

"Of the 413 cases, 180 (44%) were reported as West Nile meningitis or encephalitis (neuroinvasive disease), 219 (53%) were reported as West Nile fever (milder disease), and 14 (3%) were clinically unspecified at this time," the CDC states.

The West Nile cases were reported in Alabama (3), Arizona (8), Arkansas (7), California (127), Colorado (37), Connecticut (1), Idaho (8), Illinois (4), Indiana (1), Iowa (6), Kansas (7), Louisiana (6), Maryland (1), Michigan (2), Minnesota (15), Mississippi (53), Missouri (5), Montana (2), Nebraska (2), Nevada (7), New Mexico (3), New York (6), North Dakota (23), Ohio (2), Oklahoma (6), Oregon (4), Pennsylvania (1), South Dakota (28), Tennessee (8), Texas (19), Utah (7), West Virginia (1), Wisconsin (1) and Wyoming (2).

West Nile virus is transmitted through the bite of an infected mosquito that has picked up the virus by feeding on an infected bird.

Most people with the virus show no clinical symptoms of illness, but some may become ill three to 15 days after getting infected after a bite of an infected mosquito. An estimated 20 percent of infected people experience any illness, according to the (IDPH).

Symptoms of West Nile virus are usually mild including fever, headache and body aches. In serious cases, the illness can lead to encephalitis and meningitis or death.

The Illinois state suggests the following measures to protect against West Nile virus:

The best way to prevent West Nile disease 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:

    * Avoid being outdoors when mosquitoes are most active, especially between dusk and dawn. Use prevention methods whenever mosquitoes are present.

    * When outdoors, wear shoes and socks, long pants and a long-sleeved shirt, and apply insect repellent that includes DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus or IR 3535 according to label instructions. Consult a physician before using repellents on infants.

    * 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 that can support mosquito breeding, including water in bird baths, ponds, flowerpots, wading pools, old tires and any other receptacles. In communities where there are organized mosquito control programs, contact your municipal government to report areas of stagnant water in roadside ditches, flooded yards and similar locations that may produce mosquitoes.