Mosquitos

There are 10 counties in Missouri that are seeing elevated levels of mosquito activity right now.

Missouri health officials say 15 have been hospitalized and 3 have died from West Nile virus.

A mosquito-carried virus has been spreading like wildfire in Illinois already confirmed in 17 counties.

There are few things that bring more joy than the thoughts of Spring arriving early. That, however, comes with the reality that warmer weather will also bring with it the potential early appearance of Missouri's most deadly creature.

It's no secret that mosquitos are a big nuisance in Missouri, but if the world's worst time traveler is correct, it's about to get way worse.

This is not meant to create alarm, just awareness. A deadly mosquito-borne disease that kills 1 in 3 has been reported in Wisconsin.

You fortunately do not see this very often, but the West Nile virus has struck Missouri hard leaving one St. Louis area teen paralyzed and on a ventilator.

I am not a fan of any type of mosquito, but there's a warning about one in Illinois that you definitely don't want to mess with. It's an invasive pest that isn't supposed to be here in the first place, but it is now a reality. Beware that they carry diseases and bite like a tiger.

It was simply a matter of time. With the number of mosquitos that seem to take over Illinois and Missouri during the summertime, the fact that a potentially severe mosquito-borne illness is now confirmed in the area should not come as a surprise.

It might just be the most urgent health issue in America right now and it's especially becoming a big problem for Illinois. The CDC is warning about an explosion of cases of dengue fever and Illinois is among the states with the most incidents.