YAKIMA — A 71-year-old Sunnyside woman may be the first West Nile virus death in Washington.
The Yakima Herald-Republic reports Ruth Rosalee Rogers died Saturday at a Yakima hospital and her husband says doctors told him his wife died of the West Nile virus.
The Yakima Health District says samples have been sent to a Centers for Disease Control lab for confirmation.
Rogers would be the ninth West Nile fatality nationally, according to the CDC Web site.
Howard Rogers says his wife became ill after returning from a trip to Denver on Sept. 1. She entered Yakima Regional Medical and Cardiac Center on Sept. 4.
There have been 17 cases of the mosquito-borne disease in Washington, according to the state Health Department Web site.
Information from: Yakima Herald-Republic, www.yakima-herald.com
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