More West Nile Virus Cases Pop Up in Will County

The Will County Health Deparment issued this release on the most recent West Nile Virus cases:

A Crest Hill man in his early 70s and a Crete woman in her early 40s were added to Will County's West Nile Virus (WNV) case count early Wednesday.

The Illinois Department of Public Health currently lists seven confirmed WNV human cases from Will County, including two from Crest Hill. Other infections have been confirmed from Plainfield, Joliet, Homer Glen, Bolingbrook, and Romeoville.

Through noon Wednesday, 138 Illinois residents from 13 counties were listed as laboratory-confirmed WNV cases. There have been five fatalities statewide.

The Crest Hill man was hospitalized September 9, after reporting fever and an altered mental state. He was discharged September 14, and his diagnosis reads West Nile encephalitis.

Diagnosed with West Nile fever, the Crete woman sought medical help after experiencing fever, nasal congestion, fatigue, headaches, vomiting, and a rash. Her diagnosis was received September 25.

More than 78 percent of the laboratory-confirmed Illinois human WNV infections have occurred in people 45 years of age or older. The age range of cases is nine years to 82 years, and the average age is 56.

While there have been no WNV-related fatalities in Will County, DuPage County on Tuesday reported its third West Nile virus death.