Pool Upkeep is down, giving West Nile a chance to spread

Kristen Kridel reports for the Chicago Tribune about a dangerous consequence of not adequately maintaining your pool – mosquito breeding (7/29). Entomologist George Balis says unkempt swimming pools are just another sign of tough economic times. Neglected swimming pools are a haven for mosquitoes that can transmit West Nile virus, and local experts say the number of neglected swimming pools is on the rise. For example, according to the Lake County Health Department, “the number of desolate pools in Lake County has doubled in just a few years…Buffalo Grove also has seen an estimated twofold jump.”

Murky, brownish green water with a noticeable smell is a haven for mosquito breeding, and “one mosquito can lay 50 to 250 eggs in a batch.” Mr. Balis further offered “two ways to keep mosquitoes out of a pool are to keep it chlorinated and turn on the pumps regularly.” However, there has been at least one positive outcome from a cooler than normal summer – the ability of the West Nile virus to spread has been reduced. This season, “four batches of mosquitoes have tested positive for West Nile virus” in the Northwest district of Illinois “down from several dozen infected batches by this time in 2005.”

As a personal injury lawyer in Chicago, I encourage all swimming pool owners to keep their pools clean. Even though cooler than average temperatures have had a positive effect on the West Nile virus, temperatures have been warming up lately and the summer season is not over.