Chicago– Two people in eastern Wisconsin and one person in northeastern Illinois have died from West Nile virus, according to health officials.
A third person in the state has been hospitalized with the mosquito-borne illness, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services said in a statement Thursday.
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The state's cases include residents of Outagamie, Fond du Lac and Brown counties.
In Lake County, Illinois, three people have tested positive for the virus in the past seven days, the Lake County Health Department and Community Health Center said in a statement Thursday.
One victim developed symptoms in mid-August and died shortly thereafter.
West Nile virus is typically spread through the bite of an infected mosquito. While most people don’t have symptoms, about 1 in 5 people may develop fever, headache, body aches, vomiting, diarrhea or a rash, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 1 in 150 people infected becomes seriously ill, sometimes fatally.
An average of 18 cases of West Nile virus are reported in Wisconsin each year, and this year the virus has been detected in mosquitoes, animals and healthy blood donors whose blood tests showed West Nile virus, according to the state.
West Nile virus was first reported in the United States in 1999 in New York. The virus gradually spread throughout the country. In 2003, there were nearly 10,000 cases.
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