Washington (H24N). New Jersey health officials confirm that West Nile virus caused the death of an 82-year-old man, the first death blamed on the mosquito-borne virus this year.

Officials say the Little Falls man, who has not been identified, died Sept. 14, 11 days after he fell ill. Though he reportedly had other ailments, doctors have identified West Nile as the principal cause of death. They say a 72-year-old Bayonne woman also tested positive for the virus, and she is recovering at home.

The latest cases bring to four the number of New Jersey residents who have come down with the disease this year. Nearby New York officials have recorded 12 cases, none of them fatal. Last year 62 people, most of them from the New York area, fell ill from the virus, which is spread to humans by mosquitoes that have bitten infected birds. Seven of those cases were fatal.

Besides New York and New Jersey – the only states with confirmed human cases – the virus has been detected this year in Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. New Jersey Health and Senior Services Commissioner Christine Grant says the latest cases are further evidence that the West Nile virus has firmly established itself in the Northeast.

"Fortunately, most people who are bitten by an infected mosquito don't get sick and never even know they have been exposed," she said. "Unfortunately, for some, this virus can cause serious illness and death. It's therefore important that all residents take precautions to reduce their risk of exposure." The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that residents in the affected states take proper precautions: eliminate standing water where mosquitoes can breed, repair window screens to keep mosquitoes out and wear insect repellent when outdoors, at least until cold weather sets in and kills the current mosquito population.

About one in 300 people becomes seriously ill from exposure to West Nile. Symptoms include fever, severe headaches, eye pain, drowsiness, enlargement of lymph nodes and muscle weakness. The virus can lead to meningitis, an inflammation of the lining of the brain and spinal cord, and can also cause encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain itself. The elderly and people with compromised immune systems are most at risk.

All of the cases this year have involved elderly people.

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