Chicago reports first West Nile virus death of 2026 as health officials expand mosquito control
A Chicago resident died from West Nile virus, the city’s first fatal case this year, prompting the health department to spray insecticide in 15 neighborhoods and issue prevention guidance.
A Chicago resident has died from West Nile virus, marking the city’s first fatal case of the mosquito-borne illness in 2026, according to the Chicago Department of Public Health. The department said the death follows several other confirmed cases across Illinois.
"2026 has seen the rainiest summer in Chicago in years, giving mosquitoes ample opportunities to breed," CDPH Commissioner Garth Walker said in a statement.
The health agency has begun aerial and ground applications of insecticide in the neighborhoods of Beverly, Burnside, Chatham, East Garfield Park, the Lower West Side, Morgan Park, the Near West Side, North Lawndale, O’Hare, Pullman, Roseland, South Deering, Washington Heights, West Lawn and West Pullman to curb mosquito populations.
West Nile virus is transmitted primarily through mosquito bites after the insects feed on infected birds. Most infections cause mild or no symptoms, but about 20-25% of symptomatic patients develop flu-like illness, and a smaller proportion experience severe neuroinvasive disease such as meningitis or encephalitis.
"Of those who do have symptoms, about 20%, maybe 25%, will have the flu-like symptoms — fever, headache, body aches — and it’s very hard to distinguish between that and flu," Dr. Tyler Evans, an infectious-diseases specialist, told Fox News Digital.
People over 50 and individuals with compromised immune systems are at higher risk of severe outcomes. Dr. Evans advised that anyone in those groups who develops confusion, severe headache, stiff neck, vision loss, or disorientation should seek emergency care immediately.
There is no vaccine or specific antiviral treatment for West Nile virus; care is supportive. Preventive measures emphasized by health officials include using insect repellent containing at least 30% DEET, wearing long-sleeved clothing, avoiding outdoor activity at dusk, and eliminating standing water around homes.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 407 human West Nile cases in the United States so far this year, including 285 neuroinvasive infections and 23 deaths, with most cases occurring in August and September.