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A resident of DuPage County has died of West Nile virus, according to the DuPage County Health Department.
The 65-year-old became ill in early September, according to Don Bolger, spokesman for the Department of Health. This was the first death at DuPage linked to the virus this year
In 2018, 14 human cases were reported in DuPage County, and Aurora and Naperville are among the 13 communities in DuPage County where human cases of West Nile have been reported.
Ninety human cases of West Nile virus were recorded in Illinois in 2017. Eight people died.
The first human death related to West Nile virus in Illinois in 2018 occurred in LaSalle County, where a resident over 65 died after falling ill during the first part of the month. d & # 39; August.
"The report on a death is a sad reminder that it is always important to protect yourself, to protect your family from West Nile virus," Karen Ayala, executive director of the health department, said in a statement.
The Ministry of Health's personal protection index (PPI) remains at level 3 (high risk) because of the number of mosquito lots tested positive for West Nile virus. Level 3 indicates a high number of mosquitoes infected in most areas and multiple human cases of the disease in DuPage County.
The IPP provides a real-time overview of the activity of West Nile virus, which goes from level 0, that is to say without risk, to level 3, indicating a high level of risk associated with several human cases.
The PPI is updated at 3 pm every Wednesday of the West Nile virus season to dupagehealth.org.
While most people infected with West Nile do not develop symptoms, about one in five people have them.
Symptoms include fever, headache, body aches, joint pain, vomiting, diarrhea or rash. Less than one percent will develop a serious neurological condition such as encephalitis or meningitis, inflammation of the brain or surrounding tissues.
The people most at risk are people over the age of 60 and some medical conditions such as cancer, diabetes, hypertension, kidney disease and organ transplants.
Anyone with symptoms of concern should contact their health care provider.
The DuPage Health Department will continue to collect and test mosquitoes in the county's traps until October.
The best prevention is to dress properly and use an insect repellent containing DEET on the outside. It is also important to drain objects that collect stagnant water, rub them and regularly fill plates and baths with pet birds, officials said.
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