Kane County sees first human West Nile case this year

Kane County recently became one of only 10 Illinois counties to experience a human case of the West Nile virus this year.

Kane County Public Health Department officials reported a 63-year-old St. Charles woman first reported feeling ill about mid-September. She did not require hospitalization and fully recovered.

Public concern over the virus has calmed since the county first began tracking the potentially fatal mosquito bites in 2007. The county saw 13 people with West Nile that year. By 2009, the county had no cases. Last year, the virus re-emerged with five human cases.

Health department officials said West Nile usually causes a mild illness that includes fever, headache and body aches that arise three to 15 days after a bite from an infected mosquito. Most people will never experience any symptoms, but some people might experience an illness progressing to serious conditions such as encephalitis and meningitis. There have been 35 deaths from West Nile reported across the United States this year, according to the Centers for Disease Control. California has the most reported deaths with five.

In Illinois, fatal human cases of West Nile this year occurred in Cook, DuPage and Marion counties, according to state statistics. Other, nonfatal human cases were found in Will, McHenry, Winnebago, Rock Island, Coles and Franklin counties. Cook County had the most human West Nile cases with 18 out of the 30 total cases in the state. Most people testing positive for the virus were 45 or older.

Kane County also saw a total of six mosquito batches test positive for the virus this year. Those batches were found in Aurora, Carpentersville, Elgin (twice), Batavia and Big Rock. All told, Illinois saw 1,065 mosquito batches and 21 birds test positive for West Nile in 2011.

Health officials encourage the use of long pants, long-sleeved shirts and insect repellent that includes DEET, picaridin or oil of lemon eucalyptus when outdoors during mosquito season.