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CARTERVILLE, Ill. (WSIL)-- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports nearly 300 cases of West Nile this year in the US. 

With more cases being reported people want to know how to protect themselves.

“It's pretty unavoidable,� Gannon McCarty said about mosquitos. Reported cases of West Nile Virus are on the Rise, it worries him a little bit.

“We live in the middle of the woods, so mosquitoes are a constant problem. You can't really go outside without walking back in with a few bug bites. So it's a consistent issue,� McCarty said.

A lot of people are bothered by the mosquitoes, including Cynthia Hale.  She says she always puts bug spray on her son but sometimes he comes back with bites.

“We try not to go out too much, especially in the evening whenever they're really bad. And if we do go out, not only does he wear the Off spray, but we also have the candles lick around us,� Hale said.

The Illinois Department of Public Health reported the state's first death from West Nile Virus this year, and now the virus is on people's radar. 

“Yes, I'm scared that it's gonna get him sick,� Hale said.

So far the IDPH says there are nine other human cases. The majority were reported from Cook County, with others in DuPage, Will, Winnebago, and Tazewell counties. But Dr. Jeff Ripperda says mosquito bites can happen anywhere.

“Here in Southern Illinois, it's probably more common than we think it is. The vast majority of people who get it are probably going to have some kind of minor viral illnesses that are gonna run their course,� Dr. Ripperda said.

He says the virus does not cause symptoms in most people, but symptoms to look out for are fever, headache, nausea, and vomiting.

“West Nile likes to cause some irritation in the brain or in the spinal cord, which is what meningitis is,� Dr. Ripperda says. “Typically you'll get a really stiff neck and if you tilt your chin down to your chest, that will tend to cause a headache that gets worse. Or if you draw your knees up to your chest, that will actually cause pain in your head.�

He says those motions can help you see if you might have a severe case of West Nile.

“If anybody has those symptoms, you need to be seeing a doctor anyway because that's concerning for inflammation of the brain or spinal cord,� Dr. Ripperda said.

He says the best way to prevent mosquito-borne illnesses is using bug spray or staying indoors, and McCarty says his family also uses yard treatments. 

“We have a mosquito truck that'll go by and spray our area and then plus we do a lot of the yard treatments to try to combat all of it, but it's sometimes difficult when you live in the middle of a bunch of trees,� McCarty said.

Dr. Ripperda says the virus is Mainly a concern for elderly people or people who are immuno-compromised.