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West Nile Virus Confirmed in Metro East

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The first signs of West Nile Virus are popping up in Illinois.

The virus has been confirmed in a batch of mosquitoes in Godfrey in Madison County.
Illinois Public Health director Nirav Shah says the state has a surveillance network to track West Nile...and urges the public to keep an eye out as well by alerting authorities to dead birds because feeding on them leads to the virus in mosquitoes.
 
Shah says homeowners should make sure there are no pools of standing water around their home where mosquitoes can breed.

The West Nile Virus was found in 61 Illinois counties last year, infecting 152 people and leaving five dead.
 

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