West Nile Virus Reportedly Causes 3 More Deaths in Illinois
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CHICAGO — Illinois, the state hardest hit by West Nile virus, Tuesday reported three more deaths from the mosquito-borne illness, bringing its death toll to 21 this year.
Separately, Colorado officials said a 42-year-old unidentified man from the Denver area has become the first person in that state to be infected with the virus.
The Illinois victims were two women, aged 78 and 88, and a 64-year-old man, all from the Chicago area, the state Department of Public Health said. The 78-year-old woman died Tuesday. The others died last week.
Illinois leads the nation in West Nile deaths and in the number of human cases--399 so far, according to state figures.
The man in Colorado was bitten by a mosquito while on a hunting trip in eastern Colorado and has recovered, Cindy Parmenter, spokeswoman for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, said Tuesday.
The West Nile virus was first reported in the United States in 1999.
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