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Last Updated: July 19, 2006, 12:05:30 PM PDT

Stanislaus County has its first confirmed case of West Nile Virus this year, health officials said today.

According to the county Health Services Agency, a 19-year-old woman remains hospitalized because of the disease. This is the first reported human case of West Nile Virus in the county in 2006; testing in Merced and San Joaquin counties has found infected birds and mosquitoes, but no human cases yet.

"West Nile Virus infection is a health threat to all ages in our county," Dr. John Walker, Stanislaus County Public Health Officer, said in a release. "Last year, affected persons ranged in age from 2½ years to 95 years old, with the mean age being 52 years old."

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