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OAK FOREST, Ill. (AP) — The Cook County Department of Public Health says a man in his early 90s from the south Chicago suburbs has died after contracting West Nile virus.
The agency said Monday that the man became ill Aug. 22, was hospitalized the following day and died Thursday.
Two other human cases were reported earlier in August: an adult in the Chicago suburb of Skokie and an adolescent girl who lives in St. Clair County.
West Nile virus can spread to humans through the bite of an infected mosquito. Most people won't have any symptoms. But the virus can cause fever, nausea and headaches. It can cause severe illness and death in rare cases.
Last year, state health officials reported 44 human cases of West Nile virus in Illinois, including four deaths.
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