(Undated)– An elderly woman from southwestern Minnesota is the first person to die of West Nile disease in Minnesota this year.
The State Health Department did not release the name or hometown of the woman.
The woman had been hospitalized since early August. The Health Department did not disclose the day the woman died.
There have been 11 cases of the disease reported in Minnesota this year, compared to 34 for all of last year. In 2004, two people died of West Nile.
Health officials say the peak season for West Nile in humans is mid-July through mid-September.
West Nile Virus is transmitted through mosquito bites. While usually not serious in humans, it can lead to encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain.
(Story from the Associated Press.).
