Two Toronto men dead from West Nile virus

Two Toronto men have died from West Nile virus, the first reported deaths in Canada this year from the mosquito-borne disease.

Health officials confirmed Tuesday a 63-year-old man and a 90-year-old man died from the virus on the weekend. They both had the more severe type of West Nile virus, the neurological symptoms, and they got progressively worse in hospital. The deaths have been directly attributed to West Nile; in many cases, the virus is considered a contributing factor to death along with other medical conditions.

Both men were likely infected in the city in late July or early August. There are also concerns the warm, dry weather in Ontario this summer may have an amplification effect on the virus. The Public Health Agency of Canada's website lists 20 West Nile-related deaths in 2002, compared with two in 2004, CTV reports.