Hospital: Miami-Dade man with West Nile had heart transplant

MIAMI, FLORIDA - A 71-year-old man from Miami-Dade County who contracted West Nile virus recently had a heart transplant from a Georgia donor, a hospital official said Saturday. <br> <br> Jackson Memorial Hospital administrator Carlos Cruz also said the man, whose name was not disclosed, remained in critical condition on Saturday. The man is the second person to be infected with West Nile virus in the state this year. <br> <br> State investigators haven&#39;t determined how or where the man contracted the mosquito-borne disease, said Florida Department of Health spokesman Robert Hayes. <br> <br> ``The donor was from Georgia but that does not mean the man (with West Nile) was ever in Georgia,&#39;&#39; Hayes said Saturday. ``The man was not in traveling capacity before operation.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Hayes declined to say where or when the man had his operation. <br> <br> State officials have placed 11 Florida counties under alert for West Nile, asking residents of those areas to take added precautions against mosquito bites. Miami-Dade was not on that alert list. <br> <br> Hayes said officials are looking for evidence of West Nile in Miami-Dade. <br> <br> West Nile virus is spread by infected mosquitoes and can be contracted by people, horses, many types of birds and some other animals. <br> <br> About 1 percent of all people infected with the virus show symptoms, with children and the elderly being the most susceptible. Deaths generally result once in 1,000 infections, according to figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. <br> <br> Earlier this month, a 71-year-old Sumter County resident was the first person to contract West Nile in Florida in 2002. Health officials believe that victim got the virus in Louisiana. <br> <br> Last year, 12 Floridians were infected with West Nile, with none of the cases resulting in death. At this point in 2001, four contractions of the virus had been confirmed in Florida. <br> <br> Already this year, at least 555 people in 26 states and the District of Columbia have been infected with West Nile. Of those people, at least 28 have died, according to the CDC.