Monitoring Underway For West Nile Virus In Mercer County

The Mercer County Health Department continues to monitor for West Nile virus. The agency will again be submitting dead birds to the Veterinary Diagnostic Lab at the University of Illinois for testing says the health department’s Kyle Lloyd.

 

In past years birds and even a horse have tested positive for West Nile virus and three mosquito batches tested positive last summer.  Most people who become infected with West Nile will have either no symptoms or only mild symptoms of illness.  Only about two out of ten people who are bitten by an infected mosquito will experience any illness.  Illness associated with West Nile is typically mild and includes symptoms such as fever, headache and body aches, but serious illness, such as encephalitis and meningitis are possible.  People older than 50 years of age have the highest risk of developing serious illnesses due to West Nile Virus.