Northern Indiana woman dies of West Nile virus

ELKHART, Ind. (AP/WISH) - Health officials say a 60-year-old Elkhart County woman has died of complications related to West Nile virus.

Elkhart County Health Officer Dr. Dan Nafziger did not identify the woman, but James Lambdin told The Elkhart Truth that his mother, Wanda, died Wednesday at IU Health Goshen Hospital.

According to the Indiana Department of Health, one person died in Indiana from the West Nile virus in 2010. West Nile first appeared in Indiana birds in 2001, and the first human cases came the following year when 293 people were diagnosed and 11 died.

Health officials say that about 80 percent of people infected with West Nile virus will not show any symptoms.

Mild cases may cause slight fever, rash, swollen lymph nodes, eye irritation or headache. But the Health Department said people should seek a doctor’s attention immediately if they experience high fever, headache, neck stiffness, confusion, muscle weakness or paralysis, nausea, vomiting or sore joints. In some cases, the virus can cause permanent neurological damage or death. More severe cases are more likely in people older than 50, or those with weakened immune systems.

Bites from a mosquito carrying the virus are the only know transmission method to humans. Tips on how to protect yourself are available at ISDH website .

News of the death comes two days after the first confirmed human case of the virus was confirmed Wednesday, in Jefferson County in southern Indiana. The virus has also been found in animals in two counties, Marion and Noble, and in mosquitoes in 11 counties: Adams, Allen, Bartholomew, Boone, Carroll, Hamilton, Hendricks, Henry, Marion, Morgan and Vanderburgh.