SPRINGFIELD, IL – The number of human cases of West Nile illness in Illinois continues to rise as the Illinois Department of Public Health today announced 25 new laboratory positive cases of the mosquito-borne disease, including the death of a suburban Cook County woman, have pushed the state's total this year to 424.

Dr. John R. Lumpkin, state public health director, said the most recent death was a 72-year-old woman from southern Cook County, who was hospitalized Sept. 9 with West Nile encephalitis and died Tuesday. The state's 21 other deaths have been from Chicago (4), suburban Cook County (11) and one each from DuPage, Effingham, Macon, Madison, Moultrie and Sangamon counties.

"It is difficult to predict how much longer this outbreak will last, since it is so dependent on a number of factors, most importantly the weather," Dr. Lumpkin said. "But we do know that as temperatures and daylight decrease, mosquitoes sense it is time to switch from blood meals to feeding on plants for sugar to help them survive the winter. And, as temperatures dip below 60 at night and during the early morning hours, when mosquitoes generally are biting, the flight activity falls off, and there is less chance of transmission of the virus to humans."

Dr. Lumpkin, however, continued to urge Illinoisans to take the following steps to reduce the chance of mosquito bites until their area experiences a hard frost:

• 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.

Dr. Lumpkin also announced the state has now awarded nearly $2 million to local health departments, including $31,352 today to two county health departments, to assist with mosquito control efforts. Those receiving emergency funds today were Edgar County Public Health Department, $25,700, and Ford-Iroquois Public Health Department, $5,652.

The state has previously awarded $1.8 million to18 local health departments – Clinton County Health Department, Cook County Department of Public Health, Cumberland County Health Department, DeKalb County Health Department, DuPage County Health Department, East Side Health District, Kane County Health Department, Jackson County Health Department, LaSalle County Health Department, Macoupin County Health Department, Madison County Health Department, Montgomery County Health Department, Moultrie County Health Department, Shelby County Health Department, Springfield Department of Public Health, Stark County Health Department, Stephenson County Health Department and Will County Health Department.

Local health departments in areas where there has been a human case of West Nile disease and where the county or municipality has exhausted its mosquito control resources are eligible for these special state funds.

Today's new cases include five from the city of Chicago, 14 from suburban Cook County, two from DuPage County, one each from Clinton, Kane and LaSalle counties, and one from Winnebago County, which reported its first case.

Following are the new cases reported today:

CHICAGO: An 82-year-old woman, who was hospitalized with West Nile encephalitis; a 31-year-old woman, who was hospitalized with West Nile encephalitis; a 56-year-old woman, who was hospitalized with West Nile encephalitis; a 32-year-old woman, who was hospitalized with West Nile encephalitis; and a 51-year-old woman, who was hospitalized with West Nile encephalitis.

SUBURBAN (NORTHERN) COOK COUNTY: A 77-year-old man, who was hospitalized; a 58-year-old man with West Nile encephalitis, whose hospital information is not known; a 38-year-old woman, who was hospitalized with West Nile encephalitis; a 37-year-old woman, who was hospitalized with West Nile encephalitis; and a 48-year-old man with West Nile encephalitis, who was not hospitalized.

SUBURBAN (SOUTHERN) COOK COUNTY: A 40-year-old man, who was hospitalized; a 52-year-old woman, who was hospitalized with West Nile fever; an 85-year-old woman, who was hospitalized with West Nile encephalitis; a 60-year-old woman, who was hospitalized with West Nile encephalitis; a 74-year-old man, who was hospitalized with West Nile encephalitis; an 85-year-old man, who was hospitalized; a 20-year-old man, who was hospitalized with West Nile encephalitis; a 75-year-old woman, who was hospitalized with West Nile encephalitis; and a 72-year-old woman, who was hospitalized with West Nile encephalitis and died Tuesday.

CLINTON COUNTY: A 24-year-old woman, who was hospitalized with West Nile encephalitis.

DUPAGE COUNTY: A 64-year-old man, who was hospitalized with West Nile encephalitis, and a 24-year-old man, who was hospitalized with West Nile encephalitis.

KANE COUNTY: A 60-year-old man with West Nile encephalitis, whose hospital information is not known.

LASALLE COUNTY: A 69-year-old man, who was hospitalized.

WINNEBAGO COUNTY: A 79-year-old man, who was hospitalized with West Nile encephalitis.

Human cases have been identified in Chicago and 32 Illinois counties: Chicago (110), Clark County (1), Clinton County (2), suburban Cook County (218), Crawford County (2), Cumberland County (2), DeKalb County (1), DuPage County (21), Edgar County (1), Effingham County (4), Ford County (1), Henderson County (1), Jackson County (5), Jasper County (1), Kane County (2), Kankakee County (1), Lake County (1), LaSalle County (6), Macon County (1), Macoupin County (1), Madison County (6), McHenry County (1), McLean County (1), Montgomery County (2), Moultrie County (1), Rock Island County (1), Sangamon County (4), Shelby County (1), Stark County (1), Stephenson County (1), St. Clair County (7), Vermilion County (1), Will County (14) and Winnebago County (1). The average age of the Illinois cases is 56.

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 506 birds, 528 mosquito batches and 249 horses in 97 Illinois counties have tested positive this year for the virus since surveillance for the mosquito-transmitted virus began on May 1.

The Culex or house mosquito, which can carry West Nile virus or St. Louis encephalitis virus, breeds in warm, stagnant water and remains 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 3 months to 97 years, 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.