Second Florida transplant patient positive for West Nile
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Posted 5:15PM on Thursday, September 5, 2002
TALLAHASSEE - A second Florida recipient of transplanted organs has tested positive for contracting West Nile virus. <br>
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State health officials said Thursday that the 71-year-old patient from Miami-Dade County is recovering at a family member's home in Jacksonville. <br>
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The woman, who began showing signs of encephalitis on Sunday, was one of four people who received an organ donation from a Georgia woman who died from a July 30 automobile accident. <br>
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The donor was confirmed last week as having had the virus, usually transmitted by mosquitoes. <br>
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One of the three other recipients has died and officials say they're certain he had West Nile. The other two organ recipients, including one hospitalized in Miami, have also been confirmed to have West Nile. <br>
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Authorities are trying to determine how the organ donor got the virus -- whether by mosquito bite or through a blood transfusion.