NEW YORK (AP) -- A 90-year-old woman who lives near Central Park has the first confirmed case of St. Louis encephalitis in Manhattan and the 14th case confirmed in New York City since August, Mayor Rudolp Giuliani said Friday.

The announcement came as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced it had discovered a similar but milder strain of encephalitis in the New York City area that had never before been documented in the United States.

Three city residents have died from the St. Louis encephalitis outbreak. The 90-year-old Manhattan woman was in critical condition, Giuliani said.

A West Nile strain of encephalitis typically found in Africa and Europe was found in dead birds in the area, said CDC spokeswoman Barbara Reynolds. She said the discovery of the new strain was not cause for alarm.

All the encephalitis cases confirmed in humans are believed to have resulted from the St. Louis strain, Reynolds said, but she said researchers were re-testing to look for the new strain.

The viral infection is transmitted by mosquitoes. Symptoms include fever, headaches, stiff neck, disorientation and tremors.

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