DuPage reports new case of West Nile virus
A Villa Park man in his 50s is the second confirmed human case of West Nile virus in DuPage County this year, health department officials said.
Earlier this week, the health department reported the first human West Nile case for 2012 in DuPage: a female in her 50s from Downers Grove.
Officials say the number of confirmed cases is expected to increase in the coming days “since additional reports have been received,” according to a health department news release.
Lombard village officials have reported that Village President Bill Mueller, who has been hospitalized since Aug. 5 battling cancer, is also fighting the West Nile virus.
So far, county or state health officials have not confirmed that case.
Statewide, a total of 11 cases of West Nile virus have been reported, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health’s website, though those numbers do not include the most recent DuPage County case in Villa Park and another case in Lake County.
DuPage health department officials say the presence of West Nile virus, spread through infected mosquitoes, is widespread in the area and may remain so until the arrival of cooler temperatures.