Health officials say a south-central Kansas resident is the state's second reported fatality this year due to West Nile.

The Department of Health and Environment says only that the individual was over the age of 65. It offers no further information, citing patient confidentiality.

The state's second fatality is one of 43 human West Nile cases reported this year. Last year, the state health department confirmed 90 human West Nile virus cases and seven deaths. Private labs reported another 731 cases, with three deaths.

West Nile is carried by birds and transmitted by mosquitoes that bite the birds, then horses or humans. Severe cases can lead to encephalitis, a swelling of the brain, or meningitis, a swelling of the lining around the brain and spinal cord.