Summer means mosquitoes, ticks, and other similar insects are out and about.  In addition to being a nuisance, they can also spread diseases.  The Christian County Health Department is at work testing for diseases and keeping the community informed and protected in these regards.

Joe Torres is the department’s director of environmental health.  He says recent weather has brought about extra moisture into the air and therefore also more mosquitoes, which his team then catches for disease testing. 

Female mosquitoes are the only ones that bite and therefore transmit diseases like West Nile Virus.  When department staff go through the specimens in the lab, they must first separate the mosquitoes by sex before testing.  

Torres says those who contract West Nile Virus through mosquitoes or birds may experience fever- or flu-like symptoms.  He recommends those who experience these symptoms and have recently experienced many mosquito bites to see a doctor. 

As for ticks, the Christian County Health Department has seen an increase here, as well.  They collect ticks but do not do the testing; the Illinois Department of Public Health handles this. 

Torres urges people to use bug spray, wear clothes that cover as much skin as possible, and stay away from trees when hiking. 

The Christian County Health Department has a new lead and vector inspector in Ryan Bowsher.  He is involved throughout the process of collecting and testing specimens and also handles other duties. 

More information on the Christian County Health Department is available at www.cchdil.org.

Ryan Bowsher and Joe Torres appeared as guests on the WTIM Morning Show.