Maryland reports 1st West Nile virus death - USA TODAY

The Associated Press

Updated

Maryland health officials reported the state's first death from the West Nile virus.

By LM Otero, AP

Dead mosquitoes are lined up to be sorted Aug. 16 at a Dallas County lab. West Nile virus cases are up 40% since last week.

State health department spokeswoman Dori Henry said Thursday that the department is not releasing any details on the death. Maryland has had 13 cases of West Nile virus so far this year. Nineteen cases were reported last year and 23 the year before in Maryland.

In Michigan, health officials said an 87-year-old woman from Kent County is the fifth person to die from the West Nile virus in the state this year.

• STORY: West Nile virus cases up 40% from last week

State Department of Community Health spokeswoman Angela Minicuci (min-uh-KOO'-chee) confirmed the death Thursday.

Federal officials announced Wednesday that West Nile cases nationwide are up 40% since last week and may rival the record years of 2002 and 2003.

Officials said an early spring and hot summer may be responsible. Mosquitoes get the virus from feeding on infected birds and spread it to people they bite. Symptoms include fever, headache and body aches, and most people get better in a few days.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.

USA TODAY is now using Facebook Comments on our stories and blog posts to provide an enhanced user experience. To post a comment, log into Facebook and then "Add" your comment. To report spam or abuse, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box. To find out more, read the FAQ and Conversation Guidelines.