Oklahoma's state epidemiologist, Mike Crutcher, said he had received reports of six heat-related deaths in the past month, compared with four for last summer.

"A dead body is not going to give you a disease," said Dr. Paul Blake, the state epidemiologist for Georgia.

He had recently been assigned to Michigan as a state epidemiologist, and suddenly he had been called to Africa.

If you are a health care provider, please contact your state epidemiologist or local health department (see the blue pages of your phone book).

He said state epidemiologists, who have begun their own investigation, learned of the infections as a result of news reports.

Dr. George Grady, the chief state epidemiologist, had said earlier that his preliminary examination last week found "it's very clear the exercise was stressful."

Both, said Thomas McChesney, the state epidemiologist, found nothing.

If you are a health care provider, please contact your state epidemiologist or local health department.

"We have cases all over the country," said a state epidemiologist, Michael Osterholm.

Soon after, Mrs. Gray obtained a copy of a memorandum to the city written by a state epidemiologist.