St. Charles teen has West Nile

A St. Charles teen is the third Kane County resident to contract West Nile virus this year, health officials announced Friday.

The 16-year-old boy fell ill in mid-September but did not require hospitalization, the Kane County Health Department said.

"Children are not at any greater risk than anybody else," department spokesman Tom Schlueter said. "It's the older folks like me whose bodies can't fight the disease as well as some of the younger folks' do."

As of Wednesday, there had been 13 reported cases of people diagnosed with West Nile in Illinois, Schlueter said. There were two each between the ages of 15 and 25; 30 and 44; 60 and 74; and 75 or older. Five were between the ages of 45 and 59.

Officials say those who are 50 or older face the greatest risk of severe cases because of weakened immune systems.

So far this year, the oldest Kane County resident diagnosed was a 74-year-old Huntley woman who became ill in mid-September.

Despite cooling temperatures, residents will remain at risk until mosquitoes are killed off in the first frost of the year, though additional cases could be reported beyond that because it can take weeks for symptoms to appear, local officials said.

"We urge them to continue to take precautions until the weather brings an end to the West Nile season," Paul Kuehnert, executive director of the health department, said in a statement.

For more information, call (866) 369-9710 or visit kanehealth.com.