Clearview man contracts West Nile virus
A Clearview Township man who contracted West Nile virus this summer is still recuperating from the effects of the mosquito-borne illness.
After becoming ill on August 11, it took a while for a West Nile virus diagnosis but Bryan McCann has since become interested in learning as much as he can. He said more knowledge is needed about the virus and the different paths that it takes.
“I was away at a soccer tournament in Niagara Falls on a Friday night and I began to get a serious fever and that was the start of it,” said McCann.
The next day, they were back home, and he was getting progressively more weak and feverish before going to the hospital on Sunday night.
“We were there for eight days, the first five with heavy fever, massive headaches, sensitivity on my head and my left leg was sort of paralyzed,” said McCann.
“They did a whole bunch of blood tests and blood work and it took a little longer than I would have liked but I would say in the end, the doctors and staff were great but there needs to be an increase in understanding of West Nile and the various forms that in takes.”
McCann continues to see specialists and is undergoing physiotherapy for his leg. His recovery did progress to the point that he was able to get around using a walker and now a cane but he is still experiencing extreme fatigue, which is preventing him from returning to work as an elementary school teacher in New Lowell.
“I am hopeful of a full recovery and some reports say that’s possible,” said McCann. “Some people die from it. If the type of paralysis I got goes into the lungs, you die.”
West Nile virus is a mosquito-borne viral disease that was first recognized in Africa in the 1930s, according to Public Health Ontario. The virus primarily circulates between birds and bird-biting mosquitoes. It is transmitted to humans when certain species of mosquito acquire the virus from biting an infected bird and then bite a human.
According to the World Health Organization, about 80 per cent of people who are infected will not show any symptoms. The other 20 per cent will develop West Nile fever. Symptoms include fever, headache, tiredness, and body aches, nausea, vomiting, occasionally with a skin rash (on the trunk of the body) and swollen lymph glands. The symptoms of severe disease (also called neuroinvasive disease, such as West Nile encephalitis or meningitis or West Nile poliomyelitis) include headache, high fever, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, and paralysis. It is estimated that approximately one in 150 persons infected with the West Nile virus will develop a more severe form of disease. Serious illness can occur in people of any age, however people over the age of 50 and some people with compromised immune systems are at the highest risk of getting severely ill.
“It’s like winning some crappy lottery, let’s put it that way,” said McCann, who is 61 and is generally in good health. He has Type 2 diabetes, which is under control.
“I understand that West Nile virus can look like a lot of other things,” said McCann.
A blood test confirmed he had West Nile virus, two weeks after he became ill.
The incubation period is usually three to 14 days.
“It could have been three days before, it could have been two weeks before, I couldn’t say. But I would say it’s around here.”
McCann had been camping at Inverhuron Provincial Park but McCann said they go there because there aren’t very many mosquitoes. Days before he became ill, he had been working outside of his home, located near Sunnidale Corners.
Since then, another man in New Lowell has also contracted the virus.
Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit’s manager of the Communicable Disease Surveillance Unit Heidi Pitfield, said the warm wet weather has led to an increase in cases in the region.
Six lab-confirmed cases have been recorded in Simcoe County this year, said Pitfield.
“It is a significant increase this year. On average we see one or two cases a year. On any given year, we would expect up to four in our whole area. We are seeing higher numbers across Ontario because of the season.”
Mosquitoes breed in standing water so higher temperatures and more precipitation results in an ideal summer for the insects.
Pitfield encourages people to eliminate standing water and take proper precautions to reduce risk.
To stay safe, the health unit recommends the following personal protection measures:
Use an approved insect repellent and follow the manufacturer’s instructions;
Wear light coloured clothing, covering arms and legs in areas where mosquitoes are present;
Try to stay indoors when mosquitoes are most active (dusk to dawn);
Mosquito proof your home by removing standing water around your property and ensure screens are free from breaks or rips.
For more information about West Nile virus and protecting yourself from mosquito bites, call Health Connection at 705-721-7520 or 1-877-721-7520, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., or connect with the health unit on Facebook and Twitter, or visit simcoemuskokahealth.org.
