51-Year-Old May Be First West Nile Victim of Year

This year’s first probable human case of West Nile virus was reported in Kansas, where a 51-year-old resident is thought to have had the illness, health officials in Topeka said.

Sharon Watson, spokeswoman for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, said lab tests had not confirmed the case. However, she said the doctor who treated the resident in mid-May reported West Nile symptoms.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it was the first human case reported. The disease has appeared in birds, horses and mosquitoes -- the insect that carries West Nile -- in 14 states this year.

Last year, 2,535 human cases and 98 deaths were reported.