BARRY COUNTY, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — The Barry County man known as Michigan’s first case of Eastern Equine Encephalitis in 2020 is being released from the hospital.
58-year-old Jeff Wescott of Hastings will continue recovering at home when he is discharged from Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital on Friday. Health officials say he was once in a coma and spent months in the hospital when he contracted the mosquito-borne illness.
His wife Tina Wescott tells WOOD-TV that he started showing symptoms of EEE in late August and could barely walk because he was so weak. “He’s lucky to be alive,” she said.
Another human case of EEE is suspected in Montcalm County and there are at least 32 animal cases in over a dozen Michigan counties.
State health officials say for now, aerial mosquito control spraying is complete, but they will continue monitoring the situation.
Although mosquitoes are expected to die off once the first seasonal hard frost hits Michigan, residents are still advised to take proper precautions against mosquitoes:
- Avoiding being outdoors from dusk to dawn when mosquitoes that carry the EEE virus are most active.
- Applying insect repellents that contain the active ingredient DEET, or other U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-registered product to exposed skin or clothing, and always follow the manufacturer’s directions for use.
- Wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants when outdoors. Apply insect repellent to clothing to help prevent bites.
- Maintaining window and door screening to help keep mosquitoes outside.
- Emptying water from mosquito breeding sites around the home, such as buckets, unused kiddie pools, old tires or similar sites where mosquitoes may lay eggs.
- Using nets and/or fans over outdoor eating areas.
More EEE information is available at Michigan.gov/EEE.
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