October 2, 2001

SPRINGFIELD, IL – The Illinois Department of Public Health today reported that a dead crow found in Crawford County has tested positive for West Nile virus. This is the first county outside of northern Illinois where the virus has been detected.

The crow collected in Palestine in Crawford County on Sept. 26 was identified as preliminarily positive by the Illinois Department of Agriculture lab in Galesburg. Previously, birds have been found with West Nile virus in Cook, DuPage, Lake, Will and Winnebago counties.

In addition to the crow from Crawford County, the Department today reported 27 other birds in the Chicago area have preliminarily tested positive for the virus. These birds bring to 124 the total number that have either been confirmed (4) or tested preliminarily positive (120) for West Nile virus since it was first detected in the state on Sept. 5.

No human cases of West Nile disease have been reported.

Besides the crow in Crawford County, the other dead birds identified with the virus were found between Sept. 7 and 26 in the following locations: Bridgeview, Cook County, crow; Chicago, Cook County, 10 crows; Evergreen Park, Cook County, crow; Glencoe, Cook County, two crows; Glenview, Cook County, two crows; Hanover Park, Cook County, crow; Lake Zurich, Lake County, crow; Lockport, Will County, crow; Mundelein, Lake County, crow; Park Forest, Cook County, crow and blue jay; Schaumburg, Cook County, two crows; Skokie, Cook County, crow; Steger, Will County, crow; and Wheaton, DuPage County, crow.

In addition to dead birds, 12 pools of mosquitoes collected in suburban Cook County between Aug. 24 and Sept. 18 have been either confirmed or are preliminarily positive for the virus. Confirmatory tests by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are pending on nine pools of mosquitoes.

(Editor's note: A complete recap of the positive birds and mosquitoes identified so far in Illinois is on the Department's Web site at www.idph.state.il.us. Go to the West Nile virus page and select "surveillance.")