Take mosquito bites seriously, warns Sarah Haynes, a volunteer firefighter in Parkside who contracted West Nile Virus from an infected mosquito that bit her while she was landscaping in her garden.
Haynes, who is also a borough councilwoman, ended up spending a week in the hospital, writes Madeleine Wright for CBS News Philadelphia.
Following the Aug. 14 bite, she picked up a fever and severe headaches, followed by brain swelling, forcing her to be bedridden for several days.
“I never thought in my life that the West Nile virus would be this serious,” Haynes said. “I thought it was a virus in Africa, not America.”
She was medically cleared to return to work on September 2 and is back at the Parkside Fire Company.
Nationwide, there have been 770 West Nile cases so far this season, up 40 percent, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of those, 490 led to serious complications such as encephalitis and meningitis.
“Some populations are more vulnerable to severe illness from West Nile virus,” Lora Werner, director of the Delaware County Health Department, said. “That includes people who are older, people who have compromised immune systems, or certain other specific diagnoses.”
Read more about precautions to prevent West Nile Virus at CBS News Philadelphia.
Editor’s Note: This post was initially published on DELCO Today in September 2025.
