Health

With Illinois Seeing its First West Nile Virus Death This Year, Here’s How to Protect Yourself During Peak Season

(Stephen Waycott / iStock)

Public health officials in Illinois are reminding residents to take precautions after the state’s first West Nile virus death of the year was announced.

An individual in their 80s who lived in Lake County died shortly after having an onset of West Nile virus symptoms in mid-August, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH). There have been 17 non-fatal cases of the virus so far this year, according to department data.

Human cases of the West Nile virus, spread by a bite from an infected mosquito, is typically at its highest in August and September, according to Rebecca Lee Smith, associate professor of epidemiology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Last year, the first individual to die from West Nile virus in Illinois also had an onset of symptoms in August, according to IDPH. In 2023, a total of six deaths from West Nile virus were confirmed in the state.

The Chicago area is among several areas in the U.S. that is at higher risk of West Nile virus, Smith said.

“Chicago – all of Illinois – was once wetlands, so there’s a lot of water and the mosquitoes really like that.” Smith said. “The design of the Chicago sewer systems, it’s almost perfectly designed for these mosquitoes to lay their eggs in.”

The number of West Nile virus cases can vary widely year-to-year based on factors that include bird health and mosquito population. In addition, temperature, precipitation and the role of mosquito abatement districts are also factors, Smith said.

A total of 289 cases of West Nile virus in the U.S. have been reported across 33 states so far this year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Preliminary CDC data showed a total of 2,566 cases of West Nile virus reported in the country in 2023.

While most people will not show any symptoms of West Nile virus, people older than 50 or those who are immunocompromised are at higher risk for severe illness. Illinois residents with reported cases of West Nile virus so far this year range from 23 to 92 years old, according to IDPH. Sixty-five is the median age of cases this year.

Common symptoms include fever, nausea, headache and muscle aches that can last from a few days to a few weeks. In rare cases, severe illness can occur, including brain infections such as meningitis or encephalitis and paralysis or even death.

“When I’m out in my garden, I’m going to be putting on my insect repellent, as much as I hate to do it, just to go out in the garden for half an hour,” Smith said. “I know how important it is. It seems like a low risk. You hear the numbers and you say, ‘Well, that’s not very high,’ but the consequences are so severe if you get a bad case.”

There is no specific treatment or vaccine for West Nile virus. IDPH is recommending residents practice the three “R’s” to help prevent infection:

• REDUCE - Make sure doors and windows have tight-fitting screens. Repair or replace screens that have tears or other openings. Try to keep doors and windows shut. Eliminate, or refresh each week, all sources of standing water where mosquitoes can breed, including water in bird baths, ponds, flowerpots, wading pools, old tires and any other containers.
• REPEL - When outdoors, wear shoes and socks, long pants and a light-colored, long-sleeved shirt, and apply an EPA-registered insect repellent that contains DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus, or IR 3535 according to label instructions. The CDC does not recommend use of products containing oil of lemon eucalyptus or para-menthane-diol on children under 3.
• REPORT – Report locations where you see water sitting stagnant for more than a week such as roadside ditches, flooded yards and similar locations that may produce mosquitoes. The local health department or city government may be able to add larvicide to the water, which will kill any mosquito larvae.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former top U.S. infectious disease expert during the COVID-19 pandemic, recently spent time in the hospital after being infected with West Nile virus and is now recovering at home.

“It shows that no one can be assumed to be safe from mosquito-borne disease,” Smith said. “If you can be bitten by a mosquito, you are potentially at risk for a mosquito-borne disease.”

Another mosquito-borne disease of concern is eastern equine encephalitis, which is more deadly than the West Nile virus, Smith said, adding that while there haven’t been any confirmed E.E.E. cases in Illinois, those traveling to Michigan or to the East Coast should be aware of the disease.

Contact Eunice Alpasan: @eunicealpasan | 773-509-5362 | [email protected]

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