GR commissioner's mom has West Nile

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - The mother of First Ward Grand Rapids City Commissioner Walt Gutowski is gravely ill after contracting West Nile virus.

Lorraine Gutowski, 87, started exhibiting flu-like symptoms on Aug. 18, but didn't want to go to a hospital, her son said.

"Didn't want to go to the doctor. You know that generation. She didn't want to go to emergency," said Walt Gutowski.

The symptoms got progressively worse during the next 24 hours, and despite a brief reprieve Lorraine Gutowski was admitted to Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital on Aug. 20.

Hospital staff conducted tests and discovered she had West Nile virus.

"Unfortunately, she went into cardiac arrest when they were testing to see what was ailing her," said Walt Gutowski. But she survived.

Lorraine Gutowski is one of 29 confirmed West Nile virus cases in Kent County.

Two weeks ago, that number was one, putting the county on pace for a record number of cases. Already, this is the highest number of confirmed cases since 2002 when 60 people contracted the illness.

The nation is in the middle of one of the worst outbreaks it has ever seen, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Lorraine Gutowski was on a ventilator in the intensive care unit as of Monday afternoon.

"It was very, very aggressive flu-like symptoms," Walt Gutowski told 24 Hour News 8. "I don't know if I've ever seen my mother ravaged so greatly by flu-like symptoms."

Doctors were worried about brain damage, but managed to take her off the ventilator for approximately 10 hours Monday and she responded without sustaining any brain damage.

Walt Gutowski said he is speaking about his mother's illness because he wants people to have their loved ones checked if flu symptoms are present.

The City of Grand Rapids announced Tuesday it will again begin to target storm drain catch basins with a larvicide pellet to kill the insects, much like the City of East Grand Rapids did in 2005.

The City will concentrate its attack in the areas that have had the highest rates of infection.

Gutowski said he believes his mom was bitten by mosquitoes while simply sitting on her porch on the Grand Rapids' west side.

"If they've been outside, there's a chance they've been bitten," Gutowski told 24 Hour News 8. "If they have the flu-like symptoms, take the extra effort and get them checked as opposed to just making that assumption that it is the flu."

Though anyone can contract West Nile virus, the very young and elderly are especially vulnerable.

Milder West Nile virus symptoms are fever, headache, body aches, nausea, vomiting, and sometimes swollen lymph glands or a skin rash on the chest, stomach and back. Symptoms can last for as short as a few days, though even healthy people have become sick for several weeks.

Severe symptoms can include high fever, headache, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, vision loss, numbness and paralysis. These symptoms may last several weeks, and neurological effects may be permanent.

West Nile virus can also cause neurological illnesses like meningitis and encephalitis that may lead to death.

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Measures to prevent West Nile virus, provided by the Michigan Department of Community Health:

• Maintain window and door screening to help keep mosquitoes out of buildings.
• Empty water from mosquito breeding sites such as buckets, unused kiddie pools, old tires or similar sites where mosquitoes lay eggs.
• Apply insect repellents that contain the active ingredient DEET, or other EPA approved repellent to exposed skin or clothing, especially during peak mosquito activity periods such as dusk and dawn.
• Wear light colored, long-sleeved shirts and long pants when outdoors.

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Online:

West Nile virus information via CDC

West Nile virus fact sheet and how to prevent it