West Nile virus found in Evanston mosquitos

Mosquitos collected in north suburban Evanston have tested positive for West Nile virus.

The North Shore Mosquito Abatement District collected the positive batch of insects Wednesday, according to a statement from city of Evanston. West Nile has also been found this year in Glenview, Kenilworth and Skokie.

The state’s first human case of West Nile in 2016 was reported in late May after an adolescent in west-central Illinois became very ill, according to a statement from the Illinois Department of Public Health. The first reported human case of West Nile in 2015 was Aug. 19.

“We typically don’t start to see human cases of West Nile virus in Illinois until the end of July or beginning of August,” IDPH Director Nirav Shah said in the statement. “This first human case is much earlier this year, reminding us that it’s important to protect ourselves against mosquito bites now and not wait until the hotter months of summer.”