Sacramento woman left unable to walk after contracting West Nile Virus
By BRADY HALBLEIB
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SACRAMENTO (KOVR) — SACRAMENTO — A Sacramento County woman was left unable to walk after she contracted the West Nile Virus. She’s been in the hospital for nearly a month undergoing intense physical therapy.
Susan Corie never thought she’d be in the hospital fighting an illness caused by such a small insect.
“I’ve been in the hospital for four and a half weeks because I was bit by a mosquito,” Corie said.
Corie was diagnosed with the West Nile Virus on September 11, but her symptoms began several days before, starting with a fever and muscle spasms in her legs.
It wasn’t until she fell walking to the bathroom that her husband took her to the emergency room where she would later be diagnosed with the virus.
“I didn’t really know much about it or how it affected people,” she said.
A wet winter has primed the Central Valley for a high mosquito year, meaning more chances for West Nile to pop up. Several counties in our region are spraying to bring down the population.
As of Friday, there are 169 cases in California. Sacramento County has the second-highest number of cases with 17.
Most people who contract the virus don’t have symptoms. For those who do have symptoms, they usually recover quickly — but not everyone. One in 150 people will develop serious illness from the virus.
“This can be anything from partial paralysis, neurologic pain or neuropathy and some patients can actually die. So it’s not to be taken lightly,” said Dr. Dean Blumberg, the chief medical officer for pediatric and infectious diseases at UC Davis Health/
Experts say to use mosquito repellent containing “Deet,” cover-up during the morning and evening hours, and get rid of any standing water around your homes. Mosquito season is expected to end mid-fall.
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