SAN DIEGO -- Two more San Diego County residents have contracted West Nile virus, bringing the total number of locally acquired human cases this year to nine, county health officials said Wednesday.

The latest cases of infection with the mosquito-borne disease involve a 56-year-old Del Mar man and a 56-year-old La Mesa woman, according to the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency.

The man was diagnosed with West Nile fever, but was not hospitalized, according to the HHSA. The woman was hospitalized with encephalitis and is now undergoing rehabilitation.

"Southern California is being hit hard by the virus this year," said Dr. Wilma Wooten, the county's public health officer.

A 72-year-old Orange County woman last week became the first person in California this year to die of West Nile virus.

Wooten encouraged the public to take precautions to prevent the spread of West Nile virus including, using insect repellent and checking around their properties for mosquito breeding sources.

Last year, 15 people tested positive for West Nile virus in San Diego County, according to the HHSA.