West Nile Virus has returned to Evanston for the first reported time this year, according to the North Shore Mosquito Abatement District.

A pool of mosquitoes from the city tested by NSMAD came up positive for the virus. It’s the 28th pool statewide to test positive. No human cases have been reported in Illinois this year.

NSMAD hasn’t scheduled spraying but advises residents to wear long sleeves at dusk and dawn, clear standing water and report notice of dead birds to the Evanston Health Department.

West Nile Virus reached a high point in the state in 2002, when 884 human cases and 67 deaths were reported, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. It was first identified in Illinois in September 2001. Since then, cases in Illinois have rapidly decreased, with five human cases reported in 2009.

Symptoms include slight fever or headache for mild cases and rapid onset of high fever. Body aches and disorientation are common for severe cases, according to the IDPH. Symptoms often occur 3 to 14 days after the bite of an infected mosquito.

– Jessica Allen