SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (Associated Press) -
Illinois health officials say the hot, dry weather is to blame for more mosquitoes infected with West Nile virus this year and two earlier-than-usual human cases of the illness.
Amy Poore of the Cook County Health Department said Tuesday a Des Plaines woman and a Rolling Meadows woman are being treated at hospitals for the virus.
Both patients are in their 60s. Poore said as of Wednesday, both remain hospitalized.
"We are seeing are large increase in West Nile virus activity and this first human case is a good reminder that we all need to take precautions," Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. LaMar Hasbrouck said in a statement Tuesday announcing that one of the cases has been confirmed.
"The mosquitoes that typically carry West Nile virus, commonly called the house mosquito, are not as noticeable as the swarms of floodwater mosquitoes we see during rainy summers," Hasbrouck said. "Even if it does not look like there are a lot of mosquitoes out, house mosquitoes are stealthy biters and their virus infection rate is increasing rapidly, so make sure to use insect repellent."
Usually, the first human case of the virus is announced in August. Last year, 34 Illinois residents contracted West Nile virus and three died.
Hot, dry weather means more stagnant water where mosquitoes that carry West Nile virus can breed. Rainstorms wash away mosquito larvae along with the stagnant water.
Health officials suggest wearing insect repellent or staying indoors when mosquitoes are most active between dusk and dawn.
West Nile virus symptoms include fever, nausea, headache and muscle aches.
A bird collected in Cook County on May 16, and mosquito batches collected on May 17 and 18 in DuPage and Cook counties, were the first West Nile virus positive specimens this year, according to IDPH. To date, birds and mosquitoes with the virus have been reported in 27 counties in Illinois, up from a total of 19 last summer.
The Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.
