Great Bend ? A Great Bend woman says her father was the state’s first fatal victim of West Nile, but health officials have not confirmed that.

Richard Lee Griffin died in February at a Wichita hospital at the age of 68. His death certificate lists the cause of death as “complications of West Nile virus encephalitis, post-polio type syndrome and respiratory insufficiency,” The Hutchinson News and the Great Bend Tribune reported this week. Reporters from both newspapers saw the death certificate.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment, however, does not have any record of anyone dying from the virus, said spokeswoman Sharon Watson.

The doctor who signed the death certification, Sherri Abel, said she had no doubt that West Nile virus caused Griffin’s death and that she reported the case to the state.

Because of privacy restrictions, Watson said she could not reveal what happened in Griffin’s case.

“I can only say that the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) has not confirmed any deaths attributable to West Nile virus in Kansas,” she said.

Griffin’s daughter, Carla Peterson, said her father began having respiratory problems in early September 2002, but he continued to get sicker despite treatment with antibiotics. As paralysis began to set in, he was airlifted to Via Christi Regional Medical Center Sept. 17. A blood test for West Nile virus conducted by a private laboratory came back positive.

Dr. Tom Moore, an infectious disease specialist in Wichita who dealt with Griffin’s case, said the length of time between his diagnosis and his death — nearly six months — might explain why the state has not listed it as a West Nile death. Moore also questioned whether other factors related to Griffin’s lengthy hospitalization may have contributed to his death.

“People who die of West Nile die from the way it affects their body in a relatively short amount of time,” Moore said.

Dr. Keck Hartman, an infectious disease specialist who also handled Griffin’s case, said he had no doubt West Nile caused Griffin’s death, but agreed the delay between diagnosis and death may have led the state to question whether it was related to West Nile.

“There might be some disagreement over what constitutes a West Nile death,” Hartman said.