STATE’S 30 th WEST NILE CASE IS SUBRBAN COOK COUNTY MAN

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Dr. Eric E. Whitaker, state public health director, today announced that a 77-year-old suburban Cook County man has been identified as the state’s 30 th case this year of West Nile disease.

Dr. Whitaker said the man, who is the fifth reported case from Cook County, became ill in mid-August with West Nile encephalitis and was hospitalized briefly.

Besides the Cook County cases (one from the city of Chicago and four from suburban Cook County), the state’s other West Nile cases have been from Adams, Boone, Clinton (2), DuPage (3), Ford, Fulton, Hancock, Jackson, Jo Daviess, Kane, Kendall, LaSalle (3), McLean, Rock Island, Sangamon, St. Clair County (3) and Will (2) counties.

There has been one West Nile disease fatality reported – a 58-year-old man from DuPage County who died Sept. 1.

In addition to the human cases, a total of 202 birds, 892 mosquito pools, two horses and one alpaca have been identified this year with West Nile virus.

In 2003, Illinois recorded 54 West Nile disease human cases, including one death, and in 2002, the state led the nation with 884 cases and 66 deaths.

Most mosquito-borne infections in Illinois occur in August and September, so Dr. Whitaker continues to remind people to continue to take simple, common sense precautions to avoid mosquito bites and protect themselves from West Nile disease. These include:

Avoid being outdoors when mosquitoes are most active, especially between dusk and dawn.
When outdoors, wear shoes and socks, long pants and a long-sleeved shirt, and apply insect repellent that includes DEET according to label instructions. Consult a physician before using repellents on young children.
Make sure doors and windows have tight-fitting screens. Repair or replace screens that have tears or other openings.
Eliminate all sources of standing water that can support mosquito breeding, including water in bird baths, ponds, flowerpots, wading pools, old tires and any other receptacles.

WNV is transmitted through the bite of a mosquito that has picked up the virus by feeding on an infected bird. Most people with the virus have no clinical symptoms of illness, but some may become ill three to 14 days after the bite of an infected mosquito.

Only about two persons out of 10 who are bitten by an infected mosquito will experience any illness. Illness from West Nile is usually mild and includes fever, headache and body aches, but serious illness, such as encephalitis and meningitis, and death are possible. Persons over 50 years of age have the highest risk of severe disease.

Additional information about West Nile virus can be found on the Department's Web site at www.idph.state.il.us/envhealth/wnv.htm or people can call the Department’s West Nile virus hotline (866-369-9710) Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

September 16, 2004	2004 West Nile Virus Web site

STATE’S 30th WEST NILE CASE IS SUBURBAN COOK COUNTY MAN SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Dr. Eric E. Whitaker, state public health director, today announced that a 77-year-old suburban Cook County man has been identified as the state’s 30 th case this year of West Nile disease. Dr. Whitaker said the man, who is the fifth reported case from Cook County, became ill in mid-August with West Nile encephalitis and was hospitalized briefly. Besides the Cook County cases (one from the city of Chicago and four from suburban Cook County), the state’s other West Nile cases have been from Adams, Boone, Clinton (2), DuPage (3), Ford, Fulton, Hancock, Jackson, Jo Daviess, Kane, Kendall, LaSalle (3), McLean, Rock Island, Sangamon, St. Clair County (3) and Will (2) counties. There has been one West Nile disease fatality reported – a 58-year-old man from DuPage County who died Sept. 1. In addition to the human cases, a total of 202 birds, 892 mosquito pools, two horses and one alpaca have been identified this year with West Nile virus. In 2003, Illinois recorded 54 West Nile disease human cases, including one death, and in 2002, the state led the nation with 884 cases and 66 deaths. Most mosquito-borne infections in Illinois occur in August and September, so Dr. Whitaker continues to remind people to continue to take simple, common sense precautions to avoid mosquito bites and protect themselves from West Nile disease. These include: Avoid being outdoors when mosquitoes are most active, especially between dusk and dawn. When outdoors, wear shoes and socks, long pants and a long-sleeved shirt, and apply insect repellent that includes DEET according to label instructions. Consult a physician before using repellents on young children. Make sure doors and windows have tight-fitting screens. Repair or replace screens that have tears or other openings. Eliminate all sources of standing water that can support mosquito breeding, including water in bird baths, ponds, flowerpots, wading pools, old tires and any other receptacles. WNV is transmitted through the bite of a mosquito that has picked up the virus by feeding on an infected bird. Most people with the virus have no clinical symptoms of illness, but some may become ill three to 14 days after the bite of an infected mosquito. Only about two persons out of 10 who are bitten by an infected mosquito will experience any illness. Illness from West Nile is usually mild and includes fever, headache and body aches, but serious illness, such as encephalitis and meningitis, and death are possible. Persons over 50 years of age have the highest risk of severe disease. Additional information about West Nile virus can be found on the Department's Web site at www.idph.state.il.us/envhealth/wnv.htm or people can call the Department’s West Nile virus hotline (866-369-9710) Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.