West Nile Death Is 1st Confirmed in U.S. in 2002

A woman in her 70s has died of West Nile virus, a state health department spokesman said Wednesday. It is the nation’s first confirmed death from the mosquito-borne disease this year.

The woman, who was not identified, was one of 32 people in Louisiana known to have West Nile, health department spokesman Bob Johannessen said. She died Monday in Baton Rouge.

The department is seeking to determine whether West Nile is the cause of two other Louisiana deaths.

Before the woman’s death, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had confirmed 185 cases, including 18 deaths, since the first Americans were diagnosed in 1999. The virus was first detected in New York City and has been found in 34 states and the District of Columbia.