Just a day after DuPage County issued an advisory about an increase in West Nile virus-infected mosquitoes, the county's first human case of the illness has been reported.
In a press release, the DuPage County Health Department revealed that a Glen Ellyn man was diagnosed with the illness.
West Nile is transmitted to people by infected mosquitoes, with one in five people infected by the virus experiencing symptoms such as fever, headache, joint pain, vomiting, and diarrhea. Less than one percent of victims will develop a serious neurologic illness such as encephalitis or meningitis, according to the county.
According to yesterday's advisory, batches of mosquitoes are testing positive for the virus in the county, and DuPage isn’t the only county experiencing an uptick in infections. Other northeastern Illinois counties have also seen an increase in mosquitoes infected with the blood-borne illness.
The health department maintains a Personal Protection Index (PPI) on the county’s website to let residents know about the spread of the virus. That level has been set at “2” on a scale of 0-to-3, according to the county, denoting a moderate risk to residents.
The county is encouraging residents to drain standing water around their properties, to use mosquito repellant when venturing outdoors, and to wear long pants and sleeves, especially during peak hours at dawn and dusk.
Other areas, including Lake and Cook counties, have had mosquitoes test positive for the virus, but there is only one reported case of a human contracting the virus, which occurred in Will County earlier this summer.
