SPRINGFIELD, IL – Laboratory results received recently from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have pushed the number of human West Nile diseases cases contracted in Illinois last year to more than 800, Dr. John R. Lumpkin, state public health director, today reported.

Dr. Lumpkin said the 35 new cases identified by CDC include the death of a 91-year-old Macon County woman and the first case from Logan County. The additional laboratory positive cases raised to 813 the number of Illinoisans with the mosquito-borne disease in 2002, including 53 who died.

More than of 3,900 cases of West Nile disease and 247 deaths were counted in the U.S. in 2002 with Illinois reporting the highest number of both cases and deaths.

Blood and spinal specimens and, in the case of the fatality, a brain tissue sample were submitted to CDC last year for more sophisticated testing after initial tests for West Nile disease were inconclusive at the Department's laboratory or private laboratories. Additional cases of the disease are expected to be confirmed in the coming weeks as CDC completes a backlog of about – more – add 1 75 samples from Illinois.

Cold weather in late October ended the threat of West Nile disease in Illinois last year. The latest onset of illness in the state was mid-October.

The cases announced today reported symptoms between July 26 and Oct. 6. They include eight from Chicago, 17 from suburban Cook County, two from Madison County and one each from Kane, LaSalle, Logan, Macon, Macoupin, Peoria, St. Clair and Will counties.

The Macon County woman who died from West Nile encephalitis became ill Sept. 18 and died Sept. 24. The state's other 52 West Nile encephalitis fatalities were from Chicago (14), suburban Cook County (18), 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.

With the addition of a case from Logan County – a 32-year-old woman, who became ill on Sept. 7 – 53 of the state's 102 counties have reported at least one case of West Nile disease.

A complete listing of the positive humans, birds, mosquito batches and horses identified so far this year in Illinois, by county, is available on the Department's Web site at www.idph.state.il.us/envhealth/wnv.htm.