Zika Virus Case Number Rises in Illinois

There are now 60 confirmed cases of the Zika virus in Illinois.

That’s according to the Illinois Department of Public Health, although the number reported in the state most recently by the national Centers for Disease Control is significantly lower.

The 60 were confirmed by the IDPH on Wednesday. It’s a sharp increase from the 51 cases reported statewide on Aug. 24 and the 46 reported three weeks prior to that.

Zika is spread mostly through the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito. It can be passed on from pregnant women to the fetus and cause certain birth defects.

The CDC’s most recent numbers are from Sept. 7, when they confirmed 51 cases of the disease in Illinois, all of which are travel related. If the more recently updated IDPH numbers are correct, that equates to nearly a 15 percent increase in a week.

CDC spokesman Benjamin Haynes spoke about a similar discrepancy between the organization’s totals and state numbers in New Jersey. He said he's not sure where the discrepancy is, explaining that the CDC number is based on what is laboratory-confirmed and reported to ArboNET.

"It’s possible they didn’t report by the time we pulled for this week’s update," he told Patch. "In any case, I would go with the state number."

With 60 cases reported, Illinois ranks among the top half of states infected with the disease. The CDC shows Florida (571), California (210) and New York (661) as having the most. Florida is the only state to have reported locally acquired cases, with 43 of the cases in that state not being travel related.

Also on Patch: Fear of Zika Brings Pregnant Florida Woman to Illinois

Texas, New Jersey and Georgia are among the other states with more reported cases than Illinois.

The IDPH urges anyone returning from a country where the Zika virus is circulating and showing symptoms to call their doctor and report their travel history.

Symptoms of Zika include fever, rash and joint pain, according to the CDC.

Contributing: Tom Davis, Patch

Patch file photo