NW Side resident 1st Chicagoan to contract West Nile virus this year, CDPH says

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Chicago reported its first human case of West Nile virus this year on Thursday.

The patient is in their sixties and lives on the city's Northwest Side.

The case was reported just two days after Illinois reported the state's first human case of 2022, which was also its first death. The person who died was in their late 70s, and lived in Cook County.

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The Chicago Department of Public Health reported 13 human cases and no deaths in 2021.

West Nile virus is transmitted through mosquito bites and cannot be spread from person to person, CDPH said.

Common symptoms include fever, nausea, headache and muscle aches, but four out of five people infected with West Nile virus don't develop symptoms, CDPH said.

"The best way to prevent West Nile virus infection is by protecting yourself from mosquito bites," said CDPH Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady. "You can protect yourself and your family by using insect repellent, wearing long-sleeved clothing and eliminating standing water."