CANTON, Il - The state of Illinois prepares for nature’s first hard hit of frost, which will kill mosquitoes carrying the West Nile virus — and halt the deadliest West Nile Outbreak since the virus was first detected in the United States in 1999.

State health officials in attempt to stop the virus next year, plan to spend the winter studying the outbreaks geography, its timing, and its victims. In the United States this year alone, 3,242 West Nile human cases and 176 deaths have been reported, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

(via The Associated Press)