SPRINGFIELD, IL – The Illinois Department of Public Health today reported four additional deaths have been linked to this year's outbreak of West Nile disease, bringing to 52 the total number of fatalities in the state from the mosquito-borne disease.

Dr. John R. Lumpkin, state public health director, said the four elderly residents, all of whom died with West Nile encephalitis, were from the Chicago metropolitan area – three from the city of Chicago and one from northern Cook County.

Three of the individuals have been previously reported as cases, but the Department only recently was informed of their deaths. The fourth person, a 65-year-old man from Chicago, died Sept. 15, but confirmatory lab results were not received until this week from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Preliminary tests performed by the Department's laboratory in September had been inconclusive.

The other fatalities were a 76-year-old man from Chicago, who died Oct. 11; a 74-year-old man from northern Cook County, who died Nov. 16; and a 66-year-old man from Chicago who died Nov. 20. Onset of illness for the four who died ranged from Aug. 11 to Sept. 27.

In addition to the 65-year-old man from Chicago who had not been reported as a case, the Department announced a 63-year-old woman from southern Cook County had been identified by lab tests this week as having West Nile disease. Those two new cases bring the state's total this year to 778.

Cold weather has ended the threat of West Nile disease for this year, but additional cases will continue to be reported as confirmatory laboratory results are received.

The state's previous West Nile encephalitis fatalities 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 humans, birds, mosquito batches and horses 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.