2nd Human West Nile Virus Case Confirmed In DuPage County

AURORA, IL — A second person in DuPage County has contracted the West Nile virus. According to the DuPage County Department of Health, the case of West Nile was confirmed in a woman in her 30s from Aurora.

This comes after several mosquito traps in DuPage County tested positive for the mosquito-borne virus as well. In early July, a Wheaton woman was DuPage County's first confirmed human case of the virus. Around that same time, another Aurora woman in her 30s became Will County's first human case of West Nile.

Health department officials are urging residents to take the following precautions when going outdoors:

• Wear long sleeves, pants, and closed-toed shoes
• Use and reapply DEET insect repellant from dusk to dawn
• Drain standing water and regularly clean bird baths and pet bowls

Dead birds are often a harbinger for the West Nile Virus. If you spot a dead bird that does not appear to have been injured, do not touch it. You can report dead birds to the DuPage County Health Department to help them track the West Nile Virus.

Related: Human West Nile Virus Cases Confirmed In Will, DuPage Counties

Image via Shutterstock