IDPH: 1st human case of West Nile virus confirmed in state in 2025 is in Wayne Co.

WAYNE COUNTY, Ill. (KFVS) - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed Illinois’ first human case of West Nile virus in 2025.

According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, a person from Wayne County was hospitalized due to complications from the infection.

They say this case marks the earliest onset of illness seen in Illinois since 2016.

So far in 2025, West Nile virus has been confirmed in 19 counties. The first WNV-positive mosquito batch of this year was found on May 9 in Rockford.

Shawnna Rhine with the Southern 7 Health Department said it’s important to not let your guard down.

“We want people to be vigilant if they are outdoors,” she said. “Make sure you wear insect repellent. Cover your body as much as you can. Wear socks and shoes. Also, watch your surroundings. If you’ve got any standing water around, get rid of that, such as kiddie pools and bird baths. You need to empty those out.”

Rhite also said it’s important to remember that there is still no vaccine or treatment for West Nile virus.

IDPH urges the public to “Fight the Bite” by practicing the three “R’s” – reduce, repel and report:

• REDUCE - make sure doors and windows have tight-fitting screens. Repair or replace screens that have tears or other openings. Try to keep doors and windows shut. Eliminate, or refresh each week, all sources of standing water where mosquitoes can breed, including water in bird baths, ponds, flowerpots, wading pools, old tires and any other containers.
• REPEL - when outdoors, wear shoes and socks, long pants and a light-colored, long-sleeved shirt, and apply an EPA-registered insect repellent that contains DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus, IR 3535, para-menthane-diol, or 2-undecanone according to label instructions. Consult a physician before using repellents on infants.
• REPORT – report locations where you see water sitting stagnant for more than a week such as roadside ditches, flooded yards and similar locations that may produce mosquitoes. The local health department or city government may be able to add larvicide to the water, which will kill any mosquito larvae.

The Illinois counties to report WNV so far this year include Bureau, Christian, Clinton, Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Fulton, Grundy, Hancock, Henry, Marshall, McDonough, McHenry, Peoria, Scott, Stark, Tazewell, Wayne and Winnebago.

In 2024, WNV was confirmed in 72 counties in Illinois.

You can click here for more information from IDPH on West Nile virus.