Survivors of West Nile virus are speaking out to raise awareness of the illness's long-term impact, warning that the mosquito-borne disease can upend a life long after the initial infection. Their accounts point to a version of the illness far more severe than many residents realize, and to gaps in the care that is available to patients afterward.
One man described how quickly it turned serious. He told his wife something was seriously wrong and to bring him to a hospital, where he ended up staying for almost eight months. It took some time before he was finally diagnosed with West Nile virus, and by his account the illness nearly killed him before doctors identified what was happening.
The toll on his body was severe. He said he lost 70 pounds in about a month in the hospital because he was paralyzed, his hearing was gone, his eyelids would not close, and his gastrointestinal system had completely shut down. Today he lives with paralysis, memory loss, and difficulty forming and communicating his thoughts.
The daily reality of that has been hard on him and those around him. "My wife, my friends, my family, like everybody, they have to treat me differently," he said. "I can't get dressed anymore. People have to feed me," he added, describing a level of dependence that the virus left behind long after the infection itself had passed.
Health officials outlined how limited the medical options are. West Nile is not hard to diagnose, they said, with the appropriate tests available in Canada and usually run through provincial public health laboratories, but the treatment is only supportive. There is no dedicated antiviral drug to treat the virus, and there is no vaccine for it.
For at least one family, the outcome was fatal. They said they had lost an incredible woman who had a huge community, adding that she had not known the risks she was taking and that people are often flabbergasted to learn West Nile is present in the city at all. They said they were sharing their story in the hope that even one person might listen and be spared the same grief.
Recovery, survivors say, has also meant fighting the system. Through intense physiotherapy, one man came a long way from the point where medical staff had suggested he be placed in long-term care, but he said he was denied various rehab programs and paid thousands of dollars out of pocket for his recovery. He urged the medical world not to abandon patients, arguing there is a treatment, which is getting the patient into a physiotherapy program as quickly as possible. In the meantime, health officials recommend residents wear long sleeves, use bug spray, and remove standing water where mosquitoes can breed.