West Nile grows to 17 cases in DuPage
By Susan Frick Carlman scarlman@stmedianetwork.com September 10, 2012 3:24PM
Updated: October 14, 2012 1:09PM
The West Nile virus has now hit 17 residents of DuPage County, the Health Department announced Monday. Two people in the county have died from the infection.
Updated figures from the Illinois Department of Public Health this week show a second fatality in DuPage that had not been reported previously. In addition to the Aug. 18 death of Bill Mueller, Lombard’s longtime village president, a second resident passed away from the effects of the virus about a month ago. Beyond that, details are sketchy.
“We’re not allowed to provide specifics for privacy reasons,” Sabrina Miller, communications manager for the state agency, wrote in an email to The Sun Tuesday afternoon. “Here’s what we can provide: The victim was a male in his 40s who passed away in mid-August.”
Those affected by the virus in DuPage are in their 20s through 70s, and are located in Bloomingdale, Carol Stream, Downers Grove, Elmhurst, Hinsdale, Lisle, Lombard, Naperville, Villa Park and Westmont, the county department reported.
Statewide, 84 cases had been reported as of Tuesday afternoon. Among the new cases that came in over the past weekend is a child younger than 15, the state’s first in that age group.
Three Illinois residents in all have died from West Nile; in addition to the two in DuPage, an Elgin man succumbed to the virus in mid-August.
