By ANN ALLEN
Indiana Correspondent AKRON, Ind. — A year after having an itch neither remembers scratching, two Akron-area residents continue to struggle with the effects of West Nile virus, a serious, life-altering and sometimes fatal disease spread through mosquito bites.
“I’ve survived two heart attacks, four strokes, five arterial stents and a 96-percent blocked carotid artery, but a little mosquito almost took me out,” said Norman Tinkey, 75, who lives on a farm in southern Kosciusko County and operates an insurance agency in Akron. “I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.”
JoAnn Craft, 61, who lives at the south edge of Akron, agrees. “I had cancer 14 years ago, followed by chemotherapy,” she said.
“West Nile came pretty close to being as bad as that.”
Considering that the U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC) listed 80 cases in Indiana’s 92 counties last year, the odds for two victims living in the same city were slim.
It only takes one bite from an infected mosquito to contract the disease, but neither recalls any bites – Tinkey said he always has a can of insect repellent with him when he works outdoors, and Craft said, “Mosquitoes never bite me.”
Since WNV also affects birds, horses and small animals, the only link she can think of occurred when a red-tailed hawk attacked her cat. “I beat the hawk off with a broom. I petted the cat, but didn’t touch the hawk, which died the next day.”
Tinkey, the only Kosciusko County resident to contract the disease last year, and Craft both experienced the same symptoms: a general malaise, fever, lack of energy and nausea. “My legs ached clear to my head,” Craft said. “I never vomit, but I did with WNV – it was all foamy.”
Both thought they had picked up a flu bug and, when their symptoms didn’t go away, sought the advice of nurse practitioner
Maureen Neeley, who ran tests that confirmed they had WNV. Since there is no treatment except fluids, all she could do was treat the side effects.
When Tinkey’s temperature soared to 104 degrees and stayed there, his family checked him into a Kokomo hospital, where five doctors worked on him. Three doctors cared for him the second time he was hospitalized.
“I was as close to death as I care to be,” he said. “I couldn’t stand, didn’t want to eat and couldn’t bear the thought of drinking water. I lost a lot of weight in a hurry.”
“I’m not afraid of death, but I don’t enjoy working with it. If it’s going to be, let it be.”
Craft battled her illness at home. “I was sick for months,” she said. “All I did was lie around. I didn’t want to eat – I just wanted to sleep.”
Eventually, both regained strength, although Tinkey recalls thinking he was going to pass out the first few times he took a shower.
“It makes you appreciate the ability to do simple things automatically,” he said. “I remember picking up a pen and not knowing how to use it.”
Both continue to struggle with impaired vision and hope they never get WNV again. “If you feel you have the flu and your temperature is high, see a doctor as soon as possible,” Tinkey said. “Thanks to my family and prayers from people I didn’t even know, I made it, but as far as my personal case is concerned, that’s water over the dam. I want to talk about this if it can help someone else.”
Tinkey, Craft, Neely and the CDC are united in their suggestions of ways to avoid the dread disease for which there is no immunization:
· Kill mosquitoes
· Use mosquito repellent – Neeley says any containing DEET is most effective
· Eliminate mosquito breeding sites, such as any standing water
· Install or repair window and door screens
· Support community-based mosquito control programs
· Avoid being outside in early morning or evening hours when mosquitoes are more prevalent.
More WNV information and statistics are available online at www.cdc.gov This farm news was published in the June 2, 2007 issue of Farm World, serving Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee. |
