SPRINGFIELD, Ill., July 26 (UPI) -- Illinois Public Health officials Monday identified a Jackson County man as the state's second case of West Nile disease this year.
The 39-year-old man became ill June 11, but did not require hospital treatment. He has since recovered.
A blood sample for the mosquito-borne disease tested positive, said Dr. Eric Whitaker, state public health director.
A 67-year-old man from Galena, in the northwest corner of Illinois, was diagnosed with West Nile encephalitis last week -- the state's first official case this year. He was hospitalized and is now recovering at home.
Illinois led the nation in cases of West Nile disease during 2002, with 884 cases and 66 deaths. Last year, there were 54 human cases in Illinois, including one death.
Mosquitoes in 36 of Illinois' 101 counties have tested positive for the West Nile virus.
