CHICAGO, Aug 24: Authorities in Illinois, New York, Michigan and Ohio reported four more deaths suspected to be from the mosquito-borne West Nile virus, possibly adding to the list of 16 confirmed deaths nationally from the virus.

Initial blood tests showed an 81-year-old man from Melville, Long Island, east of New York City, died of the virus on Monday, a spokeswoman for the Suffolk County Health Department said on Saturday. If the man did in fact have the virus, he would be the first person in the New York City area to die from the illness this year.

In Cook County outside Chicago, preliminary tests showed a 67-year-old woman is likely the second person in Illinois to die after contracting the disease, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. In addition, 16 others have tested positive for the virus, bringing human cases confirmed in the state to 42 this year.

On Friday, state health officials said the virus may be responsible for the deaths of a 65-year-old Michigan man and a 79-year-old Ohio man. The cases are the first apparent deaths from West Nile in both states.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday 16 people have died after contracting the virus. So far, the CDC also has confirmed 371 human cases of West Nile, which can cause a brain inflammation called encephalitis, in 20 states and the District of Columbia.

A spokesman for the Michigan Department of Community Health said the state has identified 13 probable human cases of the virus, and, according to a news release from the Ohio Department of Health, that state has 14 possible cases.—Reuters