DUPAGE COUNTY, Ill. (WGN) – A DuPage County resident is the first to die this year from West Nile virus (WNV), its health department announced on Tuesday.
The DuPage County Health Department (DCHD) says it’s the first West Nile virus-related death of 2026 amid six reported human cases. Last year, DCHD reported a total of 14 WNV cases, including one related death reported in the county.
The news comes days after the Illinois Department of Public Health announced the West Nile virus-related death of an 86-year-old Shelby County man. In early September, the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) also reported the city’s first human death in 2026 from the virus…