Tarrant County Public Health confirmed another person has died after contracting the West Nile virus.

This is the sixth death in Tarrant County in 2012 related to the spread of the virus.

Health officials said the victim was a Fort Worth resident in his late 70s with underlying medical conditions.

The county health department did not provide any other details about the patient for privacy reasons.

Dallas County also confirmed a fifteenth death of a patient that died after contracting the virus.

With those additions, the total count for West Nile virus-related deaths in North Texas reached 28 as of Sept. 11. More than 820 human cases of the virus have been reported in the area.

West Nile Virus Facts

Most people bitten by a West Nile virus-infected mosquito will not show any symptoms. Symptoms, if they appear, are fever, headache, nausea, body aches, swollen lymph nodes and skin rashes.

Fewer than 1 percent of those infected with West Nile virus experience the serious form of the illness. Serious symptoms include high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness, disorientation, tremors or convulsions, vision loss, muscle weakness and numbness or paralysis.

North Texas health officials are urging residents to:

• Drain standing water around their homes to reduce mosquito breeding grounds.
• Dress in pants and long sleeves when outside, but avoid becoming too hot.
• Apply an insect repellent that contains DEET to exposed skin and to clothing when outdoors.
• Stay indoors at dusk and dawn, when mosquitoes are most active.

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