Lazio registered its sixth West Nile Virus victim of this year on Thursday when an 83-year-old woman died of it in the intensive-care unit of Latina's Santa Maria Goretti Hospital.
As in other deadly cases here, the woman also had several pre-existing conditions.
There have also been seven deaths in Campania this year and one in Piedmont linked to the virus, which is spread by mosquitoes.
The health ministry has said the situation is under control and there is no need for alarm as, while areas of Italy previously unaffected have been hit, the contagion and fatality figures are in line with those of recent years.
