TORONTO – Two people in Ontario have died after contracting the West Nile virus, provincial public health officials confirmed.

Health officials in the province’s southwest attributed the death of a 71-year-old man in Windsor-Essex County to the virus Thursday.

Public Health Ontario said there have been 220 confirmed and probable cases of West Nile in the province as of Sept. 25.

That includes a 74-year-old Toronto man whose death two weeks ago has been attributed to the virus.

“We’ve had a large number of cases this year relative to previous years,” Dr. Colin Lee, acting medical director of communicable diseases at Public Health Ontario told 680News.

“Two deaths are unfortunate but fortunately, it is a small number,” he said.

The only year Ontario had more cases was in 2002 — the first year West Nile virus cases were reported in Canada; that year there were 394 human cases.

Lee said the summer heat is likely behind the increase.

“We did have an early, hot summer and that allows mosquitoes to breed more quickly.”

“(It) allows the West Nile virus in infected mosquitoes to replicate faster.”

But Lee said as the temperature drops, the virus will become less of a threat.