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West Nile virus makes early entrance, infects Illinois child

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A child in west-central Illinois is the first person to contract West Nile virus this year, marking a much earlier appearance of the disease in humans than in previous seasons, according to state officials.

The child was infected and became severely ill in late May, the Illinois Department of Public Health announced Monday.

The first bird to test positive for the disease was found in downstate Douglas County and the first mosquito batch carrying the virus was discovered in north suburban Glenview, both in late May.

Human cases usually surface around July, according to public health officials, and the first such case in 2015 did not occur until late August. Nearly 80 people were reported to have contracted West Nile in 2015. Nine of them died.

West Nile is transmitted through the bite of a Culex pipiens mosquito, or a house mosquito, which contracts the virus by feeding on an infected bird. Most people who are infected do not develop any symptoms, but some can come down with headache, body aches, joint pain, vomiting, diarrhea and rash, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In more severe cases, the illness also can develop into encephalitis or meningitis, which is inflammation of the brain or the protective membranes surrounding the brain. People older than 50 and with compromised immune systems are most vulnerable to experiencing severe symptoms from West Nile infection.

Public health officials say the early incidence of human West Nile infection reinforces the necessity to vigilantly avert mosquito-borne diseases.

“This first human case is much earlier this year, reminding us that it’s important to protect ourselves against mosquito bites now and not wait until the hotter months of summer,” public health department director Nirav D. Shah said in a statement.

The department recommends that people ensure doors and windows have tight-fitting screens, keep doors and windows shut, dump standing water where mosquitoes can breed and use insect repellent and cover skin when going outdoors.

Officials also ask that residents alert their local health department of any sources of standing water, like roadside ditches and flooded yards, or if they observe sick or dying crows, blue jays or robins.

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