In Past Week 1 New Death From West Nile

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — State health officials say in the past week one more person has died from the West Nile virus in Louisiana and the number of infections has risen to 251 for the year with 36 new cases reported.

The death toll from the virus so far this year stands at 11.

Louisiana's health department says the state is seeing its highest number of West Nile cases in years.

"It is very important, especially as we head into fall and people begin spending more time outdoors, to take precautions against this potentially fatal disease," Lousiana Department of Health and Hospitals Secretary Bruce D. Greenstein said in a news release.

Health officials advise people to wear protective clothing, use mosquito repellent and make sure there's no standing water around homes.