Wichita ? An 83-year-old Wichita woman could be Kansas’ first death from West Nile virus this year.

Betty Landrum’s husband, Charles Landrum, said she died Sunday after being hospitalized for two weeks. He does not know when his wife was bitten.

Mosquitoes, which commonly carry the virus, show up in large numbers in July until the first frost. Flu-like symptoms normally show up three to 15 days after a bite, although 80 percent of those bitten by an infected mosquito never realize it. People older than 50 are at highest risk of getting severely ill.

Mild symptoms include fever, headache, rash and general muscle aches. More severe problems are possible, including encephalitis, swelling of the brain, or meningitis, swelling of the lining around the brain and spinal cord.

Last year the state had 30 cases and four deaths, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control.