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Aug 25, 2008 3:35 pm US/Pacific
First West Nile Death In Calif. This Year
SANTA ANA (AP) ―
Officials say a 72-year-old Buena Park woman has become the first person to die this year of the West Nile virus in California.
In a statement Monday, the Orange County Health Care Agency says the woman died of the infection after she was hospitalized this month.
No further details were provided.
The agency says 112 cases of the virus transmitted by mosquitoes have been reported in California this year.
While most people who become infected do not experience symptoms, the virus can be deadly. Authorities have encouraged residents to use insect repellent and avoid standing water where mosquitoes breed.
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