A Yazoo County resident has died from infection of the West Nile Virus.

According to a release from the Mississippi State Department of Health the resident died on Tuesday and was the first death from the virus in this state.

The release also states that another confirmed infection has been reported in Wilkinson County.

To date a total of seven West Nile Virus infections have been reported in Mississippi in the counties of Adams, Hinds, Newton, Rankin, Yazoo and Wilkinson. Two of those infections were reported in Rankin. The other counties had one infection each.

Last year there were five deaths and 45 total West Nile Virus infections in Mississippi, the release states.

There is also another confirmed case of another mosquito borne illness. The release states that a sixth case of the chikungunya virus has been confirmed. This most recent case involves a Mississippi resident who recently returned from a trip to the Dominican Republic.

The Department of Health suggests a number of ways to avoid exposure to a mosquito borne illness, which include using insect repellents with the ingredient DEET, eliminating standing water that mosquitos use to breed, wearing loose light colored clothing over the arms and legs to prevent bites and avoiding areas with a heavy mosquito population.