First Illinois Man to Die From W. Nile Virus

August 16, 2002

A 67-year-old DuPage County man died from the West Nile virus, the first fatality in Illinois from the mosquito-borne disease, the state Health Department said Friday.

The death was one of four new cases of West Nile virus announced by the state, bringing to nine the number of human victims of the virus in Illinois.


Dr. John Lumpkin, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, said the 67-year-old man had slipped into a coma after being admitted to the hospital and died Aug. 10. The man first reported symptoms-- fever, stiff neck, change in consciousness-- on Aug. 4 was admitted to the hospital the same day, Lumpkin said.


Three other cases were confirmed Thursday in the Chicago area, one of them an elderly man in critical condition. The other two victims have recovered completely after hospitalization for encephalitis.


Before today's announcement, the most serious case to date had been a 70-year-old Oak Lawn man who became ill Aug. 4 and has been hospitalized since Aug. 6 at Little Company of Mary Hospital in Evergreen Park.

In Chicago, Health Department spokesman Tim Hadac said a 41-year-old woman from Portage Park became ill July 30, with a high fever, headache and stiff neck. She was hospitalized Aug. 2 and released a few days later, having recovered fully.

A 49-year-old woman from Channahon in Will County first reported symptoms Aug. 3. She was released from a hospital after about a week.

Chicago this week started a months-long program to drop mosquito-killing pellets into all of the city's 210,000 sewer catch basins. The pellets last for 90 days, past the end of the mosquito season.

Lumpkin said it is likely there will be more human cases. He stressed there is little chance of serious illness from the vast majority of mosquito bites. Even in areas where West Nile virus has been reported, usually less than one mosquito out of 500 is infected.

Four out of five people bitten by an infected mosquito will show no symptoms, and only one in 150 will develop serious complications. For those who become seriously ill, the chance of death ranges from 3 percent to 15 percent.

Symptoms appear three to 14 days after the bite and may include headache, high fever, neck stiffness, stupor, convulsions, muscle weakness, paralysis and, rarely, death. Those at greatest risk are 50 or older.

The latest count shows that five people, 13 horses, 353 birds and 96 mosquito batches in 77 of Illinois' 102 counties have tested positive for West Nile virus since May 1. Kendall, Cass, Fayette, Jo Daviess and Schuyler counties joined the list Thursday.

National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention figures show Louisiana had 85 human cases and seven deaths and Mississippi had 48 cases and two deaths. Other states with human cases, but no deaths, were Texas with 14; Alabama, 3; Illinois, 5, and one each in the District of Columbia, Florida, Indiana and Massachusetts.

Nationwide, 1,000 could become seriously ill, said Lyle Petersen, a West Nile expert at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Lumpkin said people should take precautions, including:

*Get rid of all standing water from such places as birdbaths, old tires, ponds, flowerpots, pet water bowls, wading pools and holes in the ground where mosquitoes might breed.

*Repair any tears in screens, including porches and patios.

*Stay indoors at dawn, dusk and early evening. If you do go out, wear shoes and socks, long pants and a long-sleeve shirt. Loose-fitting, light-colored clothing is best.

*Use mosquito repellent with 25 percent to 35 percent DEET, and apply the repellent sparingly to exposed skin or clothing. Consult a doctor before using repellents on young children.

Illinois' first two human cases of West Nile virus were a 22-year-old woman who lived in Cook County and worked in DuPage County and a 57-year-old man from Downstate Madison County.

U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Highland Park) and several state officials and experts held a forum Thursday to brief north suburban mayors and Lake and Cook officials on the virus.

Contributing: Staff reproter Brenda Warner Rotzoll and the Associated Press
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