WHEATON, Ill. (AP) — The DuPage County Health Department says the county west of Chicago now has a dozen known human cases of West Nile virus.
The department said in a news release Tuesday that people infected with the disease range in age from the 20s to the 70s and live all over the county. One case has proven fatal.
West Nile cases are up this year in many areas across the country affected by drought.
Health officials say one in five people infected will show symptoms such as fever, headaches, vomiting and diarrhea. Less than 1 percent of those infected will develop serious problems but people older than 50 or those with medical conditions such as cancer, diabetes and high blood pressure are at greater risk for serious illness.
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