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Kay Lingofelter, 56, of Warsaw, is Kosciusko County's first -Êand so far only known - human case of the West Nile virus.
She is at Parkview Hospital, Fort Wayne, in critical condition, according to a hospital spokeswoman Tuesday afternoon.
Her husband, Jan, 57, said they don't know when she contracted the virus, but it was "probably three weeks ago." They had been sitting outside on the porch at dark as usual, not thinking about the mosquito bites that transmit the virus.
"She hadn't been feeling up to par. She was kind of weak," he said of her initial symptoms. Her neck was stiff and she complained of not feeling well and thought she might have the flu. Jan said she started having bad headaches that no pain reliever could alleviate. "A day later, she couldn't even walk." Her left side was paralyzed.
When Jan took Kay to the doctor, she could hardly walk. Their regular doctor was not available, so they had to see another doctor, who said Kay probably had one of 200 different kinds of the flu. He prescribed some medicine for it. Jan said he asked the doctor if it might be the West Nile virus, but the doctor, Jan said, waved that idea off. Jan took his wife home.
"The next morning, she couldn't even walk." They called the EMTs, who transported Kay to Kosciusko Community Hospital. There, all kinds of tests were performed before they transferred her to Parkview.
Tuesday, Jan said, Kay is "not very good. She was in a coma for three days." Though she is out of the coma now and her mind seems to be "real good, sharp," he said, she is still having difficulty communicating.
Jan said doctors have no idea on Kay's prognosis. "They're hoping" she will get better, he said, but have no idea how long she'll be in the hospital. "We're just taking it a day at a time." He said since there is no vaccine for the virus, her body has to fight it by itself.
"She has encephalitis from the West Nile virus. Yesterday, they gave her two units of blood, the first time they had to do that," he said.
The Centers for Disease Control are testing Kay's bloodwork for the virus, he said, and even though the official paperwork hasn't returned, Jan said, the infectious control doctor at the hospital received confirmation from the CDC over the telephone that Kay does have the West Nile virus. The "official" paperwork isn't set to return to the hospital for another two to three weeks, Jan said.
"When I found out she had that, I got so mad because this disease shouldn't even be in this country," said Jan.
The Lingofelters have a half-acre pond on their property. Jan said the county health department treated the pond for mosquito larvae. However, the treatment won't kill the adult mosquitoes. He also said he feeds a lot of birds at his house and "a lot of them are sick. They're so sick," he said, he can pick them up.
Why his wife got the virus and he didn't, he said, he doesn't know. She was probably just sitting at the wrong place at the wrong time.
He said, "I should have had it instead of her."
According to the State Department of Health, Kosciusko County has only one "probable" case of the West Nile virus. They are not releasing any other information until the CDC results are returned.
To keep from getting the virus, which is transmitted by mosquitoes who bite infected birds, Hoosiers are urged to protect themselves by:
• Using an insect repellent that contains DEET.
• Wearing shoes, socks, long pants and a long-sleeved shirt when outdoors for long periods of time, or from dusk to dawn, when mosquitoes are most active. Clothing should be light colored and made of tightly woven materials to keep mosquitoes away from the skin. Pant legs should tucked into shoes or socks, and collars should be buttoned.
• Using mosquito netting when sleeping outdoors or in an unscreened structure.
You also can protect your family and your community from biting mosquitoes by:
• Eliminating areas of standing water available for mosquito breeding in or near your property.
• Repairing failed septic systems.
• Keeping grass cut short and shrubbery trimmed.
• Disposing of old tires, cans, plastic containers, ceramic pots or other unused containers that can hold water.
• Cleaning clogged roof gutters, particularly if leaves tend to plug up the drains.
• Aerating ornamental pools or stocking them with predatory fish.
Daily updates on positive results for West Nile virus and a virus surveillance map are available on the State Department of Health's Web site at www.in.gov/isdh, by clicking on the image in the center of the page.
