Zika is making headlines, but the growing number of West Nile virus cases could be the more serious threat in North Texas at least right now.
Just days after Dallas County announced its first West Nile virus death of the year, experts say North Texans should be aware of the risks of the disease.
Human cases of the disease have been reported in Collin, Denton, Tarrant and Dallas counties so far this year.
The Texas Department of State Health Services reports a usual spike in human cases of from late July, through August and September, however doctors say there is nothing typical about West Nile virus and its patients.
Sean Lemoine, an attorney in Dallas, contracted the disease in October 2009 and still struggles with its long-term effects.
"This is what it looks like when I get up. The lower I sit, the harder it is to get up," Lemoine said, as he demonstrates the difficulty he faces while standing up from a seated position.
Lemoine, now 43, spent six months in the hospital and had to learn how to walk again.
He suffered from the nueroinvasive form of the disease, the severe variant of West Nile that contributed to the death of a Carrollton resident in recent weeks.
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"I'm in pretty good health and was 36 years old. That's probably the reason I survived, as bad as it was," Lemoine said.
Experts say West Nile virus poses a greater risk to North Texans than the Zika virus.
"Not to downplay Zika, but West Nile is here," said Dr. Gregg Shalan, a neurointensivist at Methodist Dallas Medical Center.
Shalan has treated hundreds of West Nile patients, several of whom succumbed to the disease.
"They developed encephalitis, which led to a coma, and also spinal disease, which leads to basically being paralyzed in all four limbs. It basically affected the entire nervous system," Shalan said.
"The people I've seen have died of the disease," he said.
Researchers are looking into whether West Nile leads to kidney disease later on in life.
"I haven't seen any effects of that, but knock on wood," Lemoine said.
"It's not going away just because you haven't heard of an outbreak like we had in 2012. You still can get it," he added.
