Illinois Department of Public Health Reports 46 Cases of Zika Statewide
As summer reaches its zenith, the Illinois Department of Public Health is reporting 46 cases of Zika virus statewide.
Of those cases, 33 have been confirmed in laboratories. (See the chart below or visit this page on the CDC website for a statistics released Aug. 3, 2016.)
The total number of Zika cases reported in Illinois is up from the three cases reported as of Jan. 28, 2016.
The Aug. 3 report for comes on the heels of news that the Florida Department of Health has identified an area in one neighborhood of Miami where Zika is being spread by mosquitoes.
Attention to the disease and its effects are in the news, as well, as opening ceremonies of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, begin tonight (Friday, Aug. 5, 2016). Zika fears among Olympians have been well documented and well publicized for the past several months, and concerns about the disease have been expressed by health agencies for more than a year.
In response, Centers for Disease Control has issued a travel alert (Level 2-Practice Enhanced Precautions) for people traveling to regions and certain countries where Zika virus transmission is ongoing.
Anyone who is living in or traveling to an area where Zika virus is found who has not already been infected with Zika virus is at risk for infection, including pregnant women. Specific areas where Zika virus transmission is ongoing are often difficult to determine and are likely to change over time. Please visit the CDC Travelers’ Health site for the most updated information.
The question for folks in Illinois — and in Kane County in particular — is whether we have a lot to worry about here, and the answer from the IDPH and the CDC is that the danger remains related to travel and sexual contact with a person who has contracted the disease.
The CDC and IDPH say Illinois is considered to be at low risk of widespread, year-long transmission of Zika virus. The Aedes aegypti mosquito, which is the primary vector for Zika virus transmission, is rarely found in Illinois.
The Aedes albopictus mosquito is believed to be a secondary (less efficient) vector of Zika virus. Aedes albopictus has been reported from 37 Illinois counties, mostly in the southern two-thirds of the state. This is a “container-breeding” mosquito that uses water-filled buckets, old tires, and similar containers for larval production; it does not breed in ditches, marshes, or other water impoundments in the ground.
Additional survey work is needed to determine the presence and public health importance of Aedes albopictus in Illinois.
One of the best local resources for up-date-information on the Zika Virus is the Zika page of the Kane County Health Department website. The page contains a ton of information about Zika and its symptoms, testing, treatment and prevention.
Zika virus is spread to people through mosquito bites. The most common symptoms of Zika virus disease are fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis (red eyes). The illness is usually mild, with symptoms lasting from several days to a week. Severe disease requiring hospitalization is uncommon.
Laboratory-confirmed Zika virus disease cases reported to ArboNET by state or territory — United States, 2015–2016 (as of August 3, 2016)
| States | Travel-associated cases* No. (% of cases in states) (N=1,819) |
Locally acquired cases† No. (% of cases in states) (N=6) |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 11 (1) | 0 (0) |
| Arizona | 10 (1) | 0 (0) |
| Arkansas | 5 (<1) | 0 (0) |
| California | 87 (5) | 0 (0) |
| Colorado | 19 (1) | 0 (0) |
| Connecticut | 39 (2) | 0 (0) |
| Delaware | 10 (1) | 0 (0) |
| District of Columbia | 10 (1) | 0 (0) |
| Florida | 322 (18) | 6 (100) |
| Georgia | 42 (2) | 0 (0) |
| Hawaii | 10 (1) | 0 (0) |
| Illinois | 33 (2) | 0 (0) |
| Indiana | 20 (1) | 0 (0) |
| Iowa | 9 (1) | 0 (0) |
| Kansas | 8 (<1) | 0 (0) |
| Kentucky | 10 (1) | 0 (0) |
| Louisiana | 9 (<1) | 0 (0) |
| Maine | 9 (<1) | 0 (0) |
| Maryland | 54 (3) | 0 (0) |
| Massachusetts | 54 (3) | 0 (0) |
| Michigan | 17 (1) | 0 (0) |
| Minnesota | 29 (2) | 0 (0) |
| Mississippi | 14 (1) | 0 (0) |
| Missouri | 10 (<1) | 0 (0) |
| Montana | 1 (<1) | 0 (0) |
| Nebraska | 4 (<1) | 0 (0) |
| Nevada | 11 (1) | 0 (0) |
| New Hampshire | 8 (<1) | 0 (0) |
| New Jersey | 50 (3) | 0 (0) |
| New Mexico | 3 (<1) | 0 (0) |
| New York | 491 (27) | 0 (0) |
| North Carolina | 30 (1) | 0 (0) |
| North Dakota | 1 (<1) | 0 (0) |
| Ohio | 26 (1) | 0 (0) |
| Oklahoma | 13 (1) | 0 (0) |
| Oregon | 14 (1) | 0 (0) |
| Pennsylvania†† | 58 (3) | 0 (0) |
| Rhode Island | 18 (1) | 0 (0) |
| South Carolina | 28 (2) | 0 (0) |
| Tennessee | 22 (1) | 0 (0) |
| Texas | 89 (5) | 0 (0) |
| Utah | 6 (<1) | 0 (0) |
| Vermont | 6 (<1) | 0 (0) |
| Virginia | 57 (3) | 0 (0) |
| Washington | 16 (1) | 0 (0) |
| West Virginia | 9 (1) | 0 (0) |
| Wisconsin | 17 (1) | 0 (0) |
| Territories | Travel-associated cases* No. (% of cases in territories) (N=23) |
Locally acquired cases† No. (% of cases in territories) (N=5,525) |
| American Samoa | 0 (0) | 44 (1) |
| Puerto Rico | 22 (96) | 5,460 (99) |
| US Virgin Islands | 1 (4) | 21 (<1) |
* Travelers returning from affected areas, their sexual contacts, or infants infected in utero
†Presumed local mosquito-borne transmission
†† One additional case acquired through laboratory transmission
About the Kane County Health Department
In active partnership with our community, the Kane County Health Department improves the quality of life and well-being of all residents by developing and implementing local policies, systems, and services that protect and promote health, and prevent disease, injury and disability. Visit the Health Department’s Facebook Page and sign up for the award-winning “Health Matters” newsletter.
Read More
- Zika 101: So Far, The Aedes Mosquito Is Primary Carrier of Zika
- National Zika Summit: Coordinated U.S. Response Needed for ‘Scarier-Than-We-Thought’ Virus
- UPDATE: What Kane County Residents Should Know About the Zika Virus
