SPRINGFIELD, IL – The Illinois Department of Public Health today reported 15 additional laboratory positive human cases of West Nile disease have raised to 776 the state's total this year for the mosquito-borne disease.

The people were infected in the summer and fall and laboratory results only recently confirmed the diagnosis. Onsets of illness ranged from Aug. 19 to Oct. 6. The cases include five from Chicago, six from suburban Cook County and one each from Kane, Lake, St. Clair and Williamson counties.

The 48 fatalities linked to West Nile encephalitis this year have been from Chicago (11), suburban Cook County (17), DuPage County (3), Fulton County (3), Sangamon County (3) and one each from Effingham, Jackson, Jefferson, Kane, Kendall, Knox, Lake, Macon, Madison, Moultrie and White counties.

A complete listing of the positive birds, mosquito batches, horses and humans identified so far in Illinois, by county, is available on the Department's Web site at <www.idph.state.il.us>. Go to the West Nile virus page and select "2002" under surveillance.

2002 West Nile virus surveillance information can be found on the Department's Web site at www.idph.state.il.us/envhealth/wnvsurveillance_data02.htm.