46 new cases of West Nile confirmed in IL today(211 total..90 the last 2 days)

[newsperson999]

SPRINGFIELD, IL – The total number of Illinois human cases of West Nile virus illness now stands at 211 with the addition today of 46 new cases of the mosquito-transmitted disease, the Illinois Department of Public Health has announced.

Human cases have now been identified in 21 of the state's 102 counties, including four counties – Crawford, Kane, Lake and Stephenson – that today reported their first cases. There have been nine deaths attributable to West Nile infection.

The new cases reported today include 13 from the city of Chicago, 25 from suburban Cook County, two from St. Clair County, and one each from Crawford, Effingham, Kane, Lake, Stephenson and Will counties.

CHICAGO: An 87-year-old man, whose hospital information is not known; a 64-year-old man, who was hospitalized with West Nile encephalitis; a 73-year-old woman, whose hospital information is not known; a 47-year-old woman, whose hospital information is not known; a 50-year-old man, who was hospitalized; a 67-year-old woman, who was hospitalized; a 76-year-old woman, whose hospital information is not known; a 59-year-old woman, who was hospitalized; a 43-year-old man, whose hospital information is not known; a 14-year-old girl, who was hospitalized; a 15-year-old boy, who was hospitalized; a 14-year-old girl, who was hospitalized with West Nile encephalitis; and a 45-year-old man with West Nile fever, who was not hospitalized

SUBURBAN (NORTHERN) COOK COUNTY: An 80-year-old man, whose hospital information is not known; a 76-year-old woman, whose hospital information is not known; a 55-year-old woman, whose hospital information is not known; a 61-year-old man, who was not hospitalized; a 69-year-old woman, whose hospital information is not known; a 2-year-old girl, whose hospital information is not known; a 39-year-old woman with West Nile fever, whose hospital information is not known; a 37-year-old woman, whose hospital information is not known; a 55-year-old woman, whose hospital information is not known; a 30-year-old woman, whose hospital information is not known; a 79-year-old man, who was hospitalized with West Nile encephalitis; a 58-year-old woman, whose hospital information is not known; an 83-year-old man, who was hospitalized with West Nile fever; and a 32-year-old man, whose hospital information is not known.

SUBURBAN (SOUTHERN) COOK COUNTY: A 21-year-old woman, who was hospitalized with West Nile encephalitis; a 33-year-old man, who was hospitalized with West Nile encephalitis; a 34-year-old man, who was hospitalized; a 73-year-old woman, whose hospital information is not known; a 65-year-old woman, who was hospitalized; a 51-year-old man, who was hospitalized; a 42-year-old woman with West Nile encephalitis, who was not hospitalized; an 82-year-old woman, who was hospitalized with West Nile encephalitis; a 60-year-old man, who was hospitalized; 62-year-old man, who was hospitalized with West Nile encephalitis; and a 37-year-old woman, whose hospital information is not known.

CRAWFORD: A 61-year-old man, who was hospitalized with West Nile encephalitis.

EFFINGHAM COUNTY: A 77-year-old woman with West Nile fever, who was not hospitalized.

KANE COUNTY: A 47-year-old man, who was hospitalized with West Nile encephalitis.

LAKE COUNTY: A 53-year-old woman with West Nile fever, who was not hospitalized.

ST. CLAIR COUNTY: A 39-year-old man, whose hospital information is not known; and a 67-year-old woman, whose hospital information is not known.

STEPHENSON COUNTY: A 41-year-old man with West Nile encephalitis, who was not hospitalized.

WILL COUNTY: A 41-year-old man, who was hospitalized with West Nile fever.

Human cases have been identified in Chicago and 21 Illinois counties: Chicago (47), Clinton County (1), suburban Cook County (116), Crawford County (1), DeKalb County (1), DuPage County (9), Effingham County (3), Ford County (1), Jackson County (2), Kane County (1), Lake County (1), LaSalle County (3), Macoupin County (1), Madison County (4), Montgomery County (1), Moultrie County (1), Sangamon County (1), Shelby County (1), Stark County (1), Stephenson County (1), St. Clair County (6) and Will County (8). The average age of the Illinois cases is 55.1.

[JustAnAmerican]

"Why the devil would an enemy go to the trouble merely to introduce a disease that has so little effect?

No one ever said the "Foreign Sources" were very smart, but on the other hand who's to say this isn't a test run for something else? On another note, two more cases have been confirmed in MD today. At the rate cases are being discovered, by the end of the year a "Few cases" could end up being in the thousands if not hundreds of thousands plus.

[JustAnAmerican]

"Don't you just love it? Do you think these people look under their beds every night for the bogeyman?"

Oh you mean like the people on here that were predicting something like 9-11 would happen and were passed off as tinfoilers or just plain looney's? The problem as I see it, is there are some people, that no matter what the facts are, just refuse to see beyond their own nose. I will mark this thread for a "Told you so" revisit. Just like I did the thread that predicted that cases of WNV might hit the low hundreds if that many. Needless to say that thread was debunked a while ago.

[Trust but Verify]

Then please explain for those of us who aren't cowering in fear, why on Earth anyone would use something as benign as WNV to attack America when they have far more lethal substances at their disposal? How, when and why would they do this to us? You can't make a convincing case.

[JustAnAmerican]

"Then please explain for those of us who aren't cowering in fear, why on Earth anyone would use something as benign as WNV to attack America when they have far more lethal substances at their disposal?"

I really think no amount of talking will change your mind, thankfully most Americans do not pass everything off as coincidence since 9-11, the Terrorists just love folks who, unless thousands of people die in one fell swoop, pass death from other then natural causes, off to coincidence. But just for the sake of argument lets do a fact listing here.
(1) persons over 50 years of age have the highest risk of severe disease version of WNV
(2) An estimated (using census figures) 56 million people in the US are over 55 years old. This doesn't even include the number between 50-55.
The above two statements were in response to your "Benign" statement, you might want to check your facts before making such a statement.

Now tell me again who would want to put an estimated 56 million people in the USA at risk of unnatural death? Especially with people who pass the WNV off as just something that happened to occur out of the blue. I do not run around cowering in fear at everything that happens, however I do pay attention to details. You might want to check the CDC's website for info on the WNV. Mighty strange that almost 800 people have contracted the disease and 40 have died.

And lets not forget where WNV originated from West Nile virus has been commonly found in humans and birds and other vertebrates in Africa, Eastern Europe, West Asia, and the Middle East, but until 1999 had not previously been documented in the Western Hemisphere.

SO for thousands of years, 60 of which planes and other high speed methods of transportation have existed, we never had WNV, now all of a sudden we do? For you or anyone else to say that WNV could not possibly have been introduced into the US population deliberately, given the facts I have outlined, and many more, if you do a bit more searching, in just plain lunacy. Or maybe in some way you really do believe Human beings are not capable of doing such a thing. Denial will get us all killed, but then again that is also what caused 9-11.

[twigs]

I am sorry to hear about your son and glad that he's feeling a little better. I've been concerned about WNV for several years now b/c my daughter has asthma and anything can be life threatening. Even colds usually necessitate a steroid injection before she even begins to recover. When I went to the CDC website recently to get more info on WNV, I noticed that they call it West Nile Encephalitis. That did not give me any reassurance! We used to sit outside and eat. Now we never do. After we move, we hope to screen in the porch so that we can once again enjoy our outdoor dinners.

[Trust but Verify]

800 people diagnosed, 40 people dead. But how many people infected who will NEVER KNOW IT? Why will they never know it? Because it is RARELY lethal.

But let's cut to the chase. How would a terrorist organization have any control over the spread of such a disease? And why would they waster their time and resources doing so?

Why not a disease both contagious AND lethal, like smallpox or the plague?

[HiTech RedNeck]

"Rarely" lethal -- if 5% is rare, well maybe, but still more commonly than the cold or flu. That's why we would care about how many people catch it even if the vast majority don't die. Skeeters can carry it from one person to another, and now it appears to be an issue in organ donations as well.

[HiTech RedNeck]

the Terrorists just love folks who, unless thousands of people die in one fell swoop, pass death from other then natural causes, off to coincidence

Some ghoulish souls might rejoice in this, but not "terrorists." There is, by nature, no terror in such a thing.

[fatima]

My prayers are for your son.

[fatima]

Bump

[backhoe]

My 2 cents?

West Nile Virus- Bring Back DDT?

100 things you should know about DDT

[Trust but Verify]

Your math is not very good. Where do you get 5% morbidity rate? The rest of your argument is flawed as well. There are far more deaths each year due to flu. Why not hypothesize that terrorists are responsiblr for that 'deadly' disease? I guess it fits your argument, though, so ignore all the facts.

[HiTech RedNeck]

I can't take your argument seriously because you said morbidity when you meant mortality. The trouble with West Nile is that, gee, it SPREADS. And apparently not just by mosquitos. Want to wait until it's a rival to the flu?

[Trust but Verify]

Sorry about the grammatical error. It was very early in the morning. What is your excuse for claiming there is a mortality rate of 5%?

I'm not saying there shouldn't be concern, am I? My argument was that to think that such a non-lethal disease is the work of terrorists is far-fetched.

The media hype on this subject has been just short of hysteria.

[HiTech RedNeck]

9 deaths out of 211 reported cases (some of which are not recovered yet and may result in more deaths), from the very head article itself, comes close to this. Quibble and call it 4% if you want but it does not change the concern materially.

[Trust but Verify]

I guess you aren't aware of the fact that a very tiny percentage of the people who contract the disease ever become ill enough to go to the doctor. The vast majority either have no symptoms or pass whatever symptoms they do have off as a cold or flu.

So your nine deaths are not out of 211 people, but thousands and thousands of people.

[Trust but Verify]

You're not going to convince me with your argument, nor am I going to convince you with mine. I guess we will have to agree to disagree.