British man critically ill with West Nile virus in France

A British man is fighting for his life in a Toulouse hospital after contracting West Nile virus when he was bitten by a mosquito while gardening, with his daughter now sharing the symptoms to look out for. 

It comes as French-origin cases have been rising this year and are being found in more departments, including parts of the north and west, not just the south where they are more numerous.

The man’s daughter, Katie, told The Connexion that the 75-year-old has been in hospital for almost a month and remains in intensive care at Purpan Hospital. “It is a living nightmare, 24 hours a day for all of us right now,” she said.

She hopes that her family’s experience will make people more aware that West Nile virus is present in France and that – in rare cases – it can cause severe illness. 

Her father, who lives in France, became ill on August 22. “He had very bad kidney pain and my mum phoned me to say, ‘Can you come and call an ambulance? He can't get out of bed,’” said Katie (who asked for her surname not to be used).

He was taken to a local hospital but was discharged that night, she said. “He was released with no antibiotics when he had an infection in the blood.”

A few days later, his condition became worse. “Then on Sunday he couldn't walk and I had to get around there and take him to another hospital in Toulouse.”

Doctors began running tests and treating him for an infection but could not determine the cause of the illness. Her father was moved to a geriatric ward, where his condition continued to deteriorate.

“He was shaking violently in the bed, couldn't keep his eyes open and had a fever of 40.”

Katie said her father eventually collapsed in hospital. Doctors subsequently diagnosed meningitis and encephalitis, and he also developed sepsis, she said. It was only later that a blood test confirmed the illness.

'Devastating and heartbreaking'

“It took two and a half weeks to confirm it was West Nile virus. He's still in a semi-coma. His brain is taking a lot of time to recuperate.”

In recent days, he has sometimes been able to open his eyes and respond to questions by nodding. The family do not yet know whether he will suffer lasting neurological damage.

“We don't know if he's going to be able to speak. We don't know if he's going to be able to walk. To see your loved one like this due to a mosquito is devastating and heartbreaking.”

France has recorded 92 locally acquired human cases of the virus this year, according to figures covering cases reported up to September 14 (up 36 on the preceding week). Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur has the most cases (39), followed by Ile-de-France (17) and Occitanie (16).

Cases have been identified in 19 departments across seven regions: three departments in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, five in Occitanie, six in Ile-de-France, two in Pays de la Loire, and one each in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Centre-Val de Loire. For eight cases, the place where the infection occurred could not be identified.

This is the first year in which cases have been detected in Aude, Seine-et-Marne, Drôme, Loire-Atlantique, Maine-et-Loire and Loiret.

The virus is transmitted by mosquitoes of the common culex genus, which are present across mainland France and are active between May and November.

Around 80% of people infected have no or only mild symptoms. About 20% develop flu-like symptoms, typically with sudden fever, headache, muscle and joint pain, sometimes with a rash.

Fewer than 1% develop serious neurological complications, such as meningitis or encephalitis. Blood tests can confirm a diagnosis.

However, for Katie, the increase is a reminder that people should not assume West Nile virus to only affect limited parts of the country.

“It is here. It's been here for a long time, but this year it's risen. A tiny little insect can do so much damage. It's not something to just push to the side and ignore.”

The best protection is preventative – stopping mosquitoes breeding around the home by removing stagnant water. Repellent sprays and traps can also help.