KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — A Knox County mom said her daughter was one of six children hospitalized after contracting a mosquito-borne virus.
The Knox County Health Department said Monday six children in Knox County have been hospitalized after contracting the La Crosse virus in the past nine weeks.
Jacklyn Bosscher’s daughter Alice is turning two next month. She was diagnosed with La Crosse virus earlier this month.
“I never thought that would happen to one of us because I grew up around mosquitoes and never had that problem,” Bosscher said.
Her initial symptoms came on suddenly and included vomiting and fever.
“About day three, was a good day. I thought she was getting better because her fever dropped. She didn’t have one at all. No vomiting. She was eating fine. So we went to bed that night, and she wakes up in the middle of the night, vomits three times in 10 minutes. So I took her to the ER,” Bosscher recalls.
At the hospital, Alice was miserable. Her mom said she was screaming and crying as they waited on tests.
“She was on pain medicine and finally woke up,” she said. “She finally woke up and was walking around, but she did not have any balance. It was just like she was drunk, just nothing. So they finally did her spinal tap and admitted her. That’s when we found out it was a viral meningitis, but we didn’t find out until later it was the La Crosse.”
After a three-day hospital stay, Alice was released. The health department contacted them and has plans to set traps and spray their yard.
Jacklyn’s advice to other parents: don’t wait to get your child checked out.
“It’s not something you would typically think about. But once it happens to you, you’re just like, ‘Oh geez, I really hope I don’t have to do this again, because that was really scary,'” Bosscher said.
According to KCHD, the infection does not cause symptoms in most people. Symptoms can include fever, headache, nausea, and vomiting if they develop. Rarely, people may develop severe disease, including encephalitis (inflammation of the brain).
To prevent mosquito bites, as the season is ongoing as late summer sets in, KCHD advises the following steps:
- Use insect repellents.
- Treat clothing with repellents such as permethrin.
- Wear long-sleeve shirts and pants if working in grassy areas and cover strollers/baby carriers with mosquito netting.
- Control the mosquito population in your yard by reducing standing water on the property.
- Once a week, turn over items that hold water, such as swings, buckets, toys, and flowerpot saucers.
