West Nile virus claims first death this year

HACKENSACK, N.J. - An 82-year-old New Jersey man has become the first person in the United States this year to die of the West Nile virus, Gov. Christie Whitman said Wednesday.

Officials did not immediately identify the man, who died on Sept. 14, 11 days after he became ill. They said that he had other ailments but that the West Nile virus had been the principal cause of death.

''People shouldn't panic,'' said Whitman, who urged residents to wear insect repellent and long-sleeved clothes.

Last year, seven people died and 55 others were infected in the New York metropolitan area during the first known appearance of the virus in the Western Hemisphere. The virus is carried by birds and mosquitos.

This year, 12 people have been infected in New York and four in New Jersey, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The virus has been detected in birds in Maryland, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. And Pennsylvania officials Wednesday said they had found the virus in two dead crows outside Philadelphia.

The disease tends to cause flu-like symptoms or none at all. It can be dangerous to young children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems.

CDC spokesman Tom Skinner said it is increasingly unlikely that there will be any more human cases this year. The cooler weather reduces the number of mosquitoes.