DECATUR - A mosquito sample taken from the west area of Decatur tested positive for West Nile virus on Monday, according to the Macon County Health Department.

The superintendent of the Macon Mos ;quito Abatement Dis ;trict, Rob ;ert Millington, said the sample was taken from one of 14 adult mosquito traps placed around the city.

He said it's insignificant that a sample was from the west side of town because the mosquitoes could have originated from any water source in another neighborhood.

"The main thing is to try to get people to use personal protection and check their property for any standing water," he said. "We found five tires behind a shed the other day. Those things were just full of mosquito larvae." He said the neighbors helped locate the tires by calling the abatement district.

Mosquitoes can develop in any standing water that lasts more than seven days, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.

With fewer than 10 days left of September, individuals should be aware the mosquito season usually lasts until the end of October or until the first frost, said Dianna Heyer, nursing services coordinator for the Macon County Health Department.

Humans can still contract West Nile virus by the bite of an infected mosquito that fed on an infected bird.

Heyer said the nine human cases in Macon County three years ago started popping up in late September. In 2002, one elderly man was confirmed Sept. 13, a teenage male Sept. 27, three more in October and one in November. Many horses and two birds also tested positive.

So far this year, one bird and the latest mosquito sample are the only confirmed cases in Macon County. A teenage male was diagnosed with West Nile meningitis by his physician last month; he recovered.

Heyer said the current conditions are right for mosquito activity.

"As long as we still have warm temperatures and there is water, the mosquitoes continue to be around and biting," she said. "We just want people to remain aware and realize the risk still occurs, and we still need to continue and take precautions."

Personal precautions include wearing mosquito repellent, light-colored clothing, long sleeves and long pants, especially during dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active.

Bethany Carson can be reached at bcarson@;herald-review.com or 421-6968.