LANSING (AP) -- Michigan officials say a second person has died from the West Nile virus, and 18 more cases have been reported this week.
The Michigan Department of Community Health on Thursday released figures showing two deaths and 41 cases this season.
Officials last week said an elderly woman in Washtenaw County died from West Nile. Details of the most recent death were not released.
The Detroit News (http://bit.ly/NnteQG ) says cases span several counties, including nine cases in Wayne, eight in Macomb, six in Oakland and seven in Detroit.
The report comes a day after federal officials reported four times the usual number of cases in the current U.S. West Nile outbreak.
So far, 1,118 illnesses and 41 deaths have been reported nationwide. Typically, fewer than 300 cases are reported by mid-August.
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