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

MIAMI - Hospital officials say a 71-year-old man from Miami-Dade County who contracted West Nile virus recently had a heart transplant from a Georgia donor. <br> <br> Jackson Memorial Hospital administrator Carlos Cruz also said the man -- whose name was not released -- remained in critical condition Saturday. The man is the second person to be infected with West Nile virus in the state this year. <br> <br> Florida Department of Health spokesman Robert Hayes says state investigators haven&#39;t determined how or where the man contracted the mosquito-borne disease. <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, adding that ``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 eleven 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 says 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> Already this year, at least 555 people in 26 states and the District of Columbia have been infected with West Nile. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, of those people, at least 28 have died.