WASHINGTON (AP) -- Many seniors and the disabled will need to shop around next year to avoid an increase in their monthly premiums for the Medicare drug benefit.
Medicare officials say the average premium for basic coverage will increase from about $22 this year to $25 next year.
About 24 million elderly and disabled people are enrolled in the drug benefit or in more comprehensive health plans that include drug coverage.
Medicare officials say the premium increase stems primarily from technical adjustments required by law -- not because insurance companies projected that it would cost more to serve beneficiaries.
Officials say by shopping around during the next open enrollment season, which begins November 15th, most seniors and the disabled can still access plans that cost the same or below what they paid this year.
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EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. (AP) -- Crews have collected the first West Nile virus-infected mosquitoes in the Metro East -- and officials say this is just the beginning.
Doug King is director of the East Side Health District, where the infected mosquitoes were caught.
He says August and September are the peak West Nile months and that people need to be vigilant about avoiding being bitten.
Last week, the death of a 77-year-old man from Ogle County became the first in the state to be linked to West Nile virus.
At least eight human cases of the virus have been reported in Illinois this year.
Health officials say risk can be reduced by using insect repellant and wearing long sleeves and long pants.
Last year, 215 cases of West Nile were reported. Ten people in Illinois died from the virus.
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

ATLANTA (AP) -- A lead poisoning specialist recommends that if a child has been playing for a month or more with one of the toys recalled because of lead content, parents should consider getting blood tests.
Mattel has recalled tens of thousands of Chinese-made toys that could be covered in lead paint. And Dr. John Rosen says it's a case of better safe than sorry.
There is no medicinal treatment for lower levels of blood poisoning, but recognizing the condition can help guide nutritional and educational measures.
No children have been reported harmed by the toys involved in this recall. But lead poisoning can build up over time. Often, it goes undetected. And the poisoning can cause irreversible learning disabilities and behavioral problems.
State and federal officials agree there are no safe levels of childhood exposure to lead.
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WASHINGTON (AP) -- The recent revelation that President Bush was treated for Lyme disease put him among a growing number of Americans who have gotten the disease.
Health officials say cases of the tick-borne infection have more than doubled over the past 15 years. And experts say many cases go unreported, so the actual number of cases could be far higher.
Bush had his treated early on, and the good news is that most patients take antibiotics for a few weeks and are cured. People who aren't treated early enough, however, can develop painful arthritis, meningitis and other serious ailments. Part of the problem in getting quick treatment is that no test can tell when someone has active Lyme disease. Current tests instead spot infection-fighting antibodies, which can take weeks to form and then linger long after Lyme is gone.
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