Three More West Nile Virus Cases Reported

Three more cases of West Nile Virus have been confirmed in Will County -- Joliet, Plainfield and Homer Glen.

That brings the total number in the county to six, five of which were confirmed this week, according to a notice issued by the Will County Health Department. The first victim was a Romeoville woman.

It was reported Tuesday that a Bolingbrook woman in her mid-50's was diagnosed with West Nile Virus and was discharged Sept. 6. 

The Joliet victim is a man in his early 50s who was hospitalized Aug. 31, a day after reporting fever, headaches, dizziness, depression, and an altered mental state, the health department said. He was discharged from hospital Sept. 7; his illness was listed as West Nile encephalitis.

A Homer Glen woman in her early 60s was hospitalized Sept. 8, more than a week after reporting fever, muscle pain, headaches, and a rash. Her illness is listed as West Nile fever.

A Plainfield woman in her early 20s was confirmed WNV-positive after initially reporting fatigue, according to the health department's release. She was not hospitalized.

Other Will County WNV infections have been confirmed from Bolingbrook, Romeoville, and Crest Hill. Five of the local cases have been confirmed this week.

Through noon Thursday, 118 human WNV infections had been reported statewide, including 26 since Monday. The U.S. human case count now stands at nearly 3,200, including at least 134 fatalities.

Mosquitoes that typically carry West Nile Virus are most active from dusk to dawn. The health department urges area residents to protect themselves against mosquito bites by using insect repellent and wearing long sleeves, pants, shoes and socks when going outdoors.

Read More: 

• Bolingbrook Woman Diagnosed with West Nile Virus
• Will County's First Human Case of West Nile Reported in Romeoville
• CDC Calls West Nile Outbreak 'Largest Ever;' No Human Cases in Will County
• Downers Grove Woman Diagnosed with West Nile Virus