VIDALIA — The Louisiana Department of Health confirmed 36 new cases of the West Nile Virus Friday including one case in Concordia Parish.

The report released Friday also confirmed one new death, bringing the total number of Louisiana deaths from the disease to 11 and a total of 251 confirmed cases so far in 2012.

Those new numbers bring the total of laboratory confirmed cases in the area to 10 — four in Adams County, five in Concordia Parish and one in Catahoula Parish.

Mississippi has a total of 186 confirmed cases and four West Nile-related deaths for 2012.

Symptoms are often mild, consisting of fever, headache, muscle weakness, nausea, rash, swollen lymph nodes or vomiting.

In its more severe cases, it can result in encephalitis — the swelling of the brain — or meningitis, which can lead to coma, paralysis and possibly death.

Because it is a mosquito-borne illness, removing sources of standing water and having adequate screens on doors and windows and wearing protective clothing during peak mosquito hours — between dusk and dawn — and using DEET-based mosquito repellant help reduce the risk of contracting the disease.