Illinois mayor has warning after harrowing battle with West Nile virus

By Jermont Terry

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    EVERGREEN PARK, Illinois (WBBM) — With all the rain that fell in the Chicago area on Wednesday, standing water can become a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

With that in mind, Illinois state health leaders have sounded the alarm about a spike in cases of the West Nile virus.

Southwest suburban Evergreen Park is one of many villages and cities that spray for mosquitoes in the summer. It is one way communities get a handle on West Nile.

Former Evergreen Park Mayor Jim Sexton caught the virus, and had a warning Wednesday — especially with the virus already having been reported in 17 counties.

“I would never wish this on anyone,” Sexton said.

Sexton fell ill with the West Nile virus 13 years ago, and ended up losing feeling in his right arm.

“I had a glass in my hand, and it just went,” said Sexton.

He said the virus was attacking his system.

“The whole system,” he said. “it was in there and attacking it.”

In the summer of 2012, the then-mayor of Evergreen Park found himself in the ER at Advocate Christ Medical Center in neighboring Oak Lawn.

“This 60-year-old man in great shape, still very active,” Sexton said, “and a little mosquito gets you.”

That one mosquito was carrying the West Nile Virus.

“I was just out of it,” Sexton said. “I mean, almost like you would be having a stroke, or you couldn’t communicate.”

It took doctors two weeks to figure out what left Sexton bedridden.

“I did 45 days in Christ Hospital — two weeks in intensive care,” he said. “There was a lot of encephalitis.”

The inflammation on Sexton’s brain left him speechless. His wife, Karen, never left his side.

“Get me up and got me going,” Sexton said.

Sexton underwent months of physical therapy. That is why when he hears of West Nile already present in 17 Illinois counites this year — including Cook, DuPage, and Will — he wants everyone to take heed to the warning from the Illinois Department of Public Health.

“So you can take precautions — fix the screen, wear repellent, wear long-sleeved clothing,” he said.

Evergreen Park is, again, of many communities that take the steps to spray for mosquitoes. Sexton, before retiring as mayor, worked hard to make sure the village was proactive in protecting residents.

Meanwhile, 13 years after he was infected, he is still sometimes hesitant to be outside. And with so many people venturing out this summer, the former mayor of Evergreen Park is living proof of how anyone can catch the virus.

“We think we’re still making progress, but I’d hate to find out otherwise,” said Sexton.

West Nile virus is spread to people from infected mosquitoes, most commonly in the summer. Eight out of 10 people infected do not develop symptoms, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

When it comes to the West Nile virus, the Illinois Department of Public Health stresses the three R’s — reduce your exposure, repel using insect repellent, and report any standing water seen longer than a week, which can breed the virus.

The public is advised to wearing loose-fitting clothing, and, if possible, avoid peak mosquito feeding times, typically around dusk and dawn.

Severe illness from the West Nile virus can occur in about one in 150 people and is most likely to occur in people over age 55 or with weakened immune systems.

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