Health officials said the woman, who was not identified, died June 26 from Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, myfoxwghp.com reported Thursday.

"North Carolina leads the nation in Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever cases," said Parker Whitt, an environmental specialist, adding that the state has anywhere from 500 to 800 cases a year.

Rocky Mountain is a serious, life-threatening condition caused by Rickettsia rickettsii, a species of bacteria that is spread to humans by ticks, according to the Web site of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Despite its name, the disease is not confined to the Rocky Mountain region of the U.S. Between 1981 and 1996, the disease was reported from every U.S. state except Hawaii, Vermont, Maine and Alaska.