Tests show West Nile virus killed St. Louis woman

ST. LOUIS -- Lab tests indicate that a St. Louis woman died of the West Nile virus, a disease that came on suddenly and claimed her life quickly, the woman's grandson said Monday.

Cora Walton, 75, of St. Louis, is the first Missourian to die of the virus since it first appeared in Missouri last year. She died Aug. 7.

St. Louis Health Department chief Mike Thomas announced the death Monday but did not release Walton's name. State health officials said an independent lab test showed that Walton tested positive for West Nile, but officials were still awaiting confirmation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

Walton's grandson, Sean Walton, a technician in the St. Louis office of The Associated Press, confirmed that his grandmother died of the virus.

Sean Walton said his grandmother seemed fine when they spoke four days before her death.

"And all of a sudden, two days later, it was like she didn't know anyone," he said.

Walton was a retired nurse. She is survived by her husband and four grown children.

Seven test positive

Seven Missourians have now tested positive for West Nile -- six in the St. Louis area and a 60-year-old woman in Washington County in southeastern Missouri.

Also last week, state health officials announced that a Massachusetts resident had contracted the virus while visiting St. Louis in late July.

St. Louis area officials have stepped up mosquito-fighting efforts. Health officials say residents should also take precautions -- wearing insect repellent during early morning and early evening hours, and keeping yards free of standing water to limit mosquito breeding areas.

But Thomas cautioned against overreacting.

"Most of the people who come down with the virus don't even know they're infected," Thomas said.

Prior to the death of Walton, 11 people had died from the virus in the U.S. this year.

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expert, Dr. Lyle Petersen, has said the disease's peak this year may not come for several weeks and could infect hundreds more people.

So far, the virus has been found in every state east of the Rocky Mountains, with human cases confirmed in nine states and the District of Columbia.

State health department spokeswoman Nanci Gonder said nearly 200 Missourians had been tested for the virus through state labs. The state agency also reported 89 cases of birds killed by West Nile in 28 counties and the city of St. Louis, and 29 cases of horses infected with the virus in 16 counties. Some of those horses also have died.

West Nile first appeared in the United States in 1999, when seven people infected with the virus in New York died.

Symptoms are often similar to the flu. But in rare cases, the virus can cause encephalitis -- a swelling of the brain that can be fatal.

Mrs. Walton would often sit outside on her porch, Sean Walton said, but it wasn't clear when or where she was bitten.

Ironically, a dead blue jay found outside Sean Walton's home in Franklin County also tested positive for West Nile. But he said his grandmother did not contract the virus there because she had not visited his home for several months.

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On the Net

Missouri health department: www.dhss.state.mo.us/WestNileVirus

CDC: www.cdc.gov