SPRINGFIELD, IL – The Illinois Department of Public Health today announced a 78-year-old Cook County man has become the state's 11th fatality due to West Nile encephalitis. In addition, the Department reported 24 new laboratory positive human cases of the mosquito-borne disease, bringing the state's total this year to 292.

Dr. John R. Lumpkin, state public health director, said the most recent death was a southern Cook County man who died Monday. He had an onset of illness Aug. 18 and was admitted to the hospital the same day. The state's other deaths have been from Chicago (3), suburban Cook County (4) and one each from DuPage, Effingham and Moultrie counties.

Human cases have been identified in 24 of the state's 102 counties, including Cumberland County, which today recorded its first case.

Dr. Lumpkin again reminded Illinoisans to take some simple steps to reduce the chance of mosquito bites:

• Avoid being outdoors at dawn, dusk and early evening when mosquitoes are most active. If outdoors at these times, wear shoes and socks, long pants and a long-sleeved shirt to cover as much of the skin as possible. Loose-fitting, light colored clothing is best.
• Use insect/mosquito repellent containing 25 percent to 35 percent DEET when outdoors when mosquitoes are biting, applied sparingly to exposed skin or clothing, as indicated on the repellent label. Consult a physician before using repellents on young children.
• Check for and repair any holes or tears in residential screens, including porches and patios.
• Eliminate stagnant water in bird baths, ponds, flower pots, wading pools, old tires and any other receptacles in which mosquitoes might breed.

These cases were reported today:

CHICAGO: A 57-year-old man with West Nile encephalitis, whose hospital information is not known; a 60-year-old man, whose hospital information is not known; a 26-year-old man, who was hospitalized; a 79-year-old woman, who was hospitalized; a 68-year-old man, whose hospital information is not known; and a 73-year-old man, who was hospitalized with West Nile encephalitis.

SUBURBAN (NORTHERN) COOK COUNTY: A 58-year-old woman, whose hospital information is not known; a 51-year-old woman, who was hospitalized with West Nile encephalitis; and

SUBURBAN (SOUTHERN) COOK COUNTY: A 7-year-old girl, whose hospital information is not known; an 80-year-old man, who was hospitalized with West Nile encephalitis; an 86-year-old woman, who was hospitalized with West Nile fever; a 64-year-old woman, whose hospital information is not known; and a 49-year-old woman, who was hospitalized with West Nile encephalitis.

CUMBERLAND COUNTY: A 3-year-old boy with West Nile fever, who was not hospitalized.

DUPAGE COUNTY: A 67-year-old woman, who was hospitalized with West Nile encephalitis; a 35-year-old woman with West Nile encephalitis, who was not hospitalized; a 43-year-old woman, whose hospital information is not known; a 71-year-old woman, who was hospitalized with West Nile encephalitis; and a 43-year-old woman, who was hospitalized with West Nile encephalitis.

JACKSON COUNTY: An 80-year-old man, who was hospitalized with West Nile encephalitis.

MADISON COUNTY: A 76-year-old man, who was hospitalized with West Nile encephalitis.

WILL COUNTY: A 69-year-old man, whose hospital information is not known; a 28-year-old woman, who was hospitalized with West Nile encephalitis; and a 15-year-old with West Nile encephalitis, whose hospital information is not known.

Human cases have been identified in Chicago and 24 Illinois counties: Chicago (74), Clinton County (1), suburban Cook County (152), Crawford County (1), Cumberland (1), DeKalb County (1), DuPage County (16), Edgar County (1), Effingham County (3), Ford County (1), Jackson County (3), Kane County (1), Kankakee County (1), Lake County (1), LaSalle County (3), Macoupin County (1), Madison County (6), Montgomery County (1), Moultrie County (1), Sangamon County (2), Shelby County (1), Stark County (1), Stephenson County (1), St. Clair County (6) and Will County (12). The average age of the Illinois cases is 56.

The state's previous 10 West Nile illness deaths were a 67-year-old man from DuPage County; a 67-year-old woman, an 83-year-old woman, an 89-year-old woman and a 92-year-old woman from suburban Cook County; an 83-year-old man , an 82-year-old woman and a 79-year-old woman from Chicago; a 71-year-old man from Effingham County; and a 79-year-old woman from Moultrie County.

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.

Dr. Lumpkin said most people who get infected with West Nile virus have either no symptoms or mild symptoms, but a few individuals may develop a more severe form of the disease, such as encephalitis or meningitis.

A total of 495 birds, 451 mosquito batches and 140 horses in 96 Illinois counties have tested positive this year for the virus since surveillance for the mosquito-transmitted virus began on May 1. Scott County was added to the list of counties today with the confirmation by the Illinois Department of Agriculture Laboratory that a blue jay and crow from that county have tested positive for West Nile virus.

The Culex or house mosquito, which can carry West Nile virus or St. Louis encephalitis virus, breeds in warm, stagnant water and will remain active and biting until there is a hard frost.

Most people infected with West Nile virus have no clinical symptoms of illness, but some may become ill three to 14 days after the bite of an infected mosquito. Infections can be mild and include fever, headache and body aches, or severe and marked by headache, high fever, neck stiffness, stupor, convulsions, muscle weakness, paralysis and, rarely, death. West Nile virus illness in Illinois has been reported in people ranging in age from 2 to 92, but serious illness is most often present in individuals 50 years of age or older.

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.