ST. AUGUSTINE - A 51-year-old St. Johns County man who died during the weekend had contracted the West Nile virus, but health officials weren't sure Wednesday whether the mosquito-borne disease caused his death.
If officials decide West Nile caused the man's death, it would be the first in Florida from the disease this year. They said he also had a pre-existing condition, which they would not describe. The man's name was not released.
So far there have been 16 cases of West Nile this year in Florida, according to state officials. Most of the victims have recovered. Last year, West Nile killed two of 28 Floridians diagnosed with it.
Meanwhile, health officials confirmed Palm Beach County's sixth and seventh cases this summer of malaria, another mosquito-borne disease. No other Florida county has reported a locally contracted malaria case.
The most recently diagnosed patients are a 17-year-old boy and a 48-year-old man.
Dr. Monica Parise, an epidemiologist for the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the outbreak represents the largest number of locally transmitted cases in Florida since officials declared the United States malaria free nearly a half century ago.
