The Chicago area in the U.S. state of Illinois has continued to see new cases of A/H1N1 flu cases, with two more deaths reported Thursday in suburban Cook County, health officials said.

The deaths of a 29-year-old woman from Western Springs and a 29-year-old Mount Prospect man, both with underlying health conditions, brought the total number of A/H1N1 flu deaths to four in suburban Cook County and 10 in Illinois.

While the flu cases have tapered off nationally, several metropolitan areas such as Chicago keep seeing cases, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Illinois is among 17 states that continue to report new cases.

"Overall the numbers have been declining since the onset, but we do expect to see more cases in Illinois, more hospitalizations and, unfortunately, more deaths," said Kelly Jakubek, spokeswoman for the Illinois Department of Public Health.

Illinois has recorded 1,984 confirmed and probable cases of A/H1N1 flu since the epidemic began in the spring, with the highest number of 867 in Chicago, the state health department reported.

(Xinhua News Agency June 19, 2009)