New Mexico health department announces first West Nile virus-related death in 2023

 The first death linked to West Nile virus in New Mexico this year was reported last week in Valencia County.

The New Mexico Department of Health announced Friday, Sept. 1 that the death of a Valencia County man was linked to the virus. The DOH has confirmed 36 human cases in the state so far this year. 

People have been confirmed to be infected in the following counties:

• Bernalillo
• Doña Ana
• Lea
• Mora
• Rio Arriba
• San Juan
• San Miguel
• Sandoval
• Santa Fe
• Taos
• Torrance
• Union
• Valencia

According to a news release from the DOH, between one and six people die in New Mexico each year from West Nile virus, though the numbers “vary widely year-to-year.”...more