More West Nile reports in Indiana

INDIANAPOLIS -- Fifteen additional probable human cases of West Nile virus have been reported in Indiana, state health officials said Thursday.\nThe new reports bring the total number of probable or confirmed cases in Indiana to 57, the Department of Health said.\nFive of the new probable cases are in Allen County, which leads the state in West Nile cases. Two of the new cases are in Lake County, with one each in the following counties: Daviess, Gibson, Hancock, Huntington, Jackson, LaGrange, Marion and Wells.\nState 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 22 to 73.\nOn Monday, the health department reported 28 new probable human cases of infection.\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 mosquitos.\nThe virus has been found in mosquitos or animals in all areas of the state.\nNationally, the West Nile toll continues to climb, with 1,295 people confirmed with the disease as of Thursday, and 54 dead.\nWest Nile first appeared in the United States in 1999 in the New York City area and has since spread west.