CHICAGO (WLS) -- A person in Cook County has died after an illness related to West Nile virus, officials said Wednesday..

The Cook County Department of Public Health said this was the first death reported in Illinois this year.

The person who died was in their 60s and lived in suburban Cook County.

No other information about the person who died was released.

Humans can get West Nile virus when they are bitten by mosquitoes that contracted the virus by feeding on infected birds.

Officials said the risk of West Nile virus in suburban Cook County remains high.

This year, 33 cases of West Nile virus have been reported in suburban Cook County.

Of the 33 cases, 22 were neuroinvasive, meaning that the central nervous system was affected.