A Texas cancer survivor is learning to walk again after contracting a devastating mosquito-borne virus.
Prospero Rangel, 78, was outside his home in Brazos County when he was bitten and immediately began to feel “very itchy.”
Over the next few days he began to suffer body and joint pain, weakness and fever before being admitted to the hospital a week later.
He was diagnosed with West Nile virus, which is becoming more common in the U.S. due to a warming climate.
However, Rangel is among the 1% of patients who develop a severe form of the virus, which inflames part of the nervous system.
Prospero Rangel, pictured with his daughter Sara Salzer, was outside his home in Brazos County when he suffered two mosquito bites. He went on to hire
Long-term effects of a severe West Nile infection can include memory loss, hearing loss, muscle weakness, and paralysis.
Rangel’s daughter, Sara Salzer, told the local news channel KBTX: ‘We have been told that there will be some symptoms that will stay with him for a while.
“They even told us that I might have to do outpatient therapy for the next year.”
The grandfather is the second human case of West Nile virus in the Brazos County area in 2024.
The first case was reported in mid-September, but no details were given about the severity of the person’s infection.
according to youhe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 62 human cases of West Nile virus have been reported so far this year.
This compares to 1,868 human cases of West Nile disease (including 89 deaths) during a severe outbreak in 2012, showing that efforts to reduce the virus have paid off.
It usually takes between three and 14 days for the disease to develop.
About 80% of infected people are asymptomatic (no symptoms), but about 20% will develop fever.
And about 1,000 people are hospitalized each year in the U.S. with the most severe form of the disease, which if it spreads to the brain and nervous system, can cause brain inflammation, brain damage and death with a mortality rate of three at 15 percent.
West Nile virus is the most common mosquito-borne disease in the continental US.
People over 60 are at higher risk of serious illness if infected, as are those with certain medical conditions, such as cancer, diabetes, hypertension, and kidney disease.
So far this year, there have been 748 human cases of West Nile virus in the US, including 515 severe or “neuroinvasive” cases.
There is no specific treatment for the virus or vaccine, but 80 percent of cases are mild and sufferers may experience flu-like symptoms or rashes.
The CDC says the best way to prevent West Nile is to protect yourself from mosquito bites.
Tips for bite prevention include using insect repellent, wearing long-sleeved shirts and pants, and using mosquito repellent devices outside and around the house.
In Brazos County, homeowners have been encouraged to eliminate standing water while ensuring that lawn irrigation and on-site sewage systems are properly maintained.
The larvicide can also be used to treat any areas where mosquitoes may lay eggs.