28 new West Nile cases reported

INDIANAPOLIS -- Twenty-eight additional probable human cases of West Nile virus have been reported in Indiana, state health officials said Monday.\nThis brings the total number of probable cases in the state to 41, with one confirmed case, health officials said.\nTen of the new probable cases are in Allen County, with five in Marion and Gibson counties; three in Lake County, two in Madison County and one each in Daviess, Morgan and Porter counties. State officials have sent samples to the federal Centers for Disease Control for confirmation.\nThe new people suspected of being infected range in age from younger than 2 to 80, but no further information was being released about the individuals, health department spokeswoman Margaret Joseph said.\nLast week, a Fort Wayne woman was believed to be Indiana's first fatality from the West Nile virus, although state officials say tests are still pending to confirm the finding.\nJoyce M. Morgan, 56, died Sept. 1, and family members said blood tests showed that she was infected with the virus, which is transmitted by mosquitoes.\nThe virus has been found in mosquitoes or animals in all areas of the state.\nThe federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported 43 deaths nationwide from the virus and have confirmed more than 900 human cases.\nWest Nile first appeared in the United States in 1999 in the New York City area and has since spread west.