A 56-year-old South Side woman who was hospitalized with encephalitis on July 27 is the first person in Chicago to come down with the West Nile virus, Chicago Department of Public Health officials said Thursday.
This summer’s hot and dry weather, along with the rate of West Nile detection in mosquitoes, looks similar to that of 2002, said Dr. William Paul, deputy commissioner of the city’s Health Department. That year, Illinois led the nation with 884 human cases of West Nile disease and 67 deaths. Last year, 60 people fell ill and four died.
In response, Chicago has stepped up efforts to kill mosquitoes by spraying for the second time this summer, a measure officials hadn’t taken since 2002. On Sunday night, officials will spray South Side areas, followed by North Side neighborhoods Monday evening.
“The last time we sprayed was during peak activity in September 2002,” Paul said. “By then, already a lot of people were sick. This year, based on monitoring of mosquitoes, we wanted to spray before people get sick.”
The South Side woman, who lives in the New City neighborhood, remained hospitalized Thursday.
Hers is the fourth case statewide this season. A 55-year-old man living in suburban Cook County fell ill in late June. Two other men, ages 47 and 55 and both of Kane County, have also been diagnosed with the virus, according to the Illinois Department of Health.
Officials also caution that though mosquito counts overall are lower because of the hot weather, the mosquito that carries West Nile doesn’t rely on floodwaters to lay eggs and thrive.
