Chicago Sun Times The case this year is the earliest detection in nearly a decade. The virus carried by mosquitoes poses the greatest risk to people over 65 and the immunocompromised. A downstate resident has tested positive for West Nile virus, marking the first detection of the mosquito-transmitted disease in humans in Illinois this year — and one of the earliest cases of the sometimes fatal illness in nearly a decade.
The person was hospitalized due to complications from the infection, the Illinois Department of Public Health announced Tuesday.
About one in five people develop a fever and flu-like symptoms after contracting West Nile virus. One in 150 people develop a severe illness that can affect the brain, spinal cord, nerves and even cause paralysis. The virus poses the greatest risk to people over 65 or the immunocompromised.