Kansas Man Severely Ill with West Nile Virus After Mosquito Bite
A Kansas father of four remains hospitalized with severe West Nile Virus complications, leaving his heavily pregnant wife to manage their family.
A Kansas man has been in intensive care for weeks after contracting West Nile Virus from a mosquito bite, a severe complication of the illness that has left his heavily pregnant wife managing their family alone. Billy Howe was bitten by a mosquito on Labor Day, and within 24 hours, he became disoriented.
His wife, Autumn Howe, told KSN that Billy was admitted to their local hospital in Abilene, but she insisted he be transferred to the University of Kansas Medical Center (KU Med) due to his history as a liver transplant recipient. At KU Med, doctors spent 12 days trying to diagnose his condition as his brain and spine swelled. They eventually confirmed he had West Nile Virus.
"It’s about 0.5 percent of people that get West Nile end up in this position," Autumn Howe said. Billy has been on a ventilator twice and has lost control of his throat and torso. He was able to come off the ventilator for the second time on Thursday.
His wife reported that he can now speak one word at a time, though it is difficult to understand him. He has also expressed pain in his legs from prolonged bed rest. Currently, Billy can only consume ice chips and requires significant assistance to move or adjust himself in bed.
He is expected to remain hospitalized until at least the following week, after which he will enter inpatient rehabilitation. This recovery process could take weeks to months.
Meanwhile, Autumn Howe is preparing to give birth to their fifth child, due at the end of October, and has not returned home since Labor Day. A GoFundMe campaign has been initiated to support the family, with the stated goal of helping Billy return home to welcome their new baby.
In a separate case, a New Hampshire man, Joe Casey, is also fighting for his life after contracting West Nile Virus, eastern equine encephalitis, and St. Louis encephalitis from a mosquito bite in August, which caused brain swelling. He will require long-term care and inpatient rehabilitation following his hospital stay.
Several cities across the United States, including in Massachusetts, New York, Texas, and California, are currently spraying pesticides at night to deter mosquito populations, which are increasingly carrying diseases. The spraying is conducted at ultra-low volumes to minimize public exposure.