By JANET PHELPS

janet.phelps@theeagle.com

A 74-year-old woman who died of West Nile virus last month lived in a neighborhood that was swarming with mosquitoes, her son said Thursday.

Jerry Cotrone said his mother, Pauline Cotrone, complained about mosquitoes so much that he gave her a bug zapper for her room last year.

The infestation of Cotrone's neighborhood near Briarcrest Drive in Bryan ultimately could have contributed to her death. The Bryan resident died Aug. 28 from a virus spread by mosquitoes, her son said.

"I wasn't ready for this, and she wasn't either," the Bryan rancher said Thursday.

Brazos County Health Department officials announced Thursday that a human case of West Nile virus had resulted in a fatality.

This is the second fatal case of the virus since county officials began tracking it in 2003. It's the third reported case of West Nile virus this year and the 25th reported case in five years.

Officials would not confirm personal details, such as the name or age of the person, although Dr. Charles Williams, the Brazos County health authority, said the person was an elderly woman who lived in Bryan.

It was the first death from West Nile virus in Texas this year, officials said.

Department of State Health Services spokeswoman Emily Palmer said the number is a sharp decrease from last year's. Seventeen people died of the virus in 2007, 33 in 2006.

There's also been a decrease statewide in the occurrence of West Nile virus, she said. So far this year, there have been 21 moderate and severe cases; last year at this time, 37 cases had been reported.

Jerry Cotrone said his mother, who had lived on Arbor Drive in Bryan for more than 10 years, fell ill while in Louisiana on a trip with her brother. She started vomiting and developed a fever and diarrhea before falling into a coma. Doctors told him she had been bitten by a virus-carrying mosquito before she left home.

She remained in intensive care at a Lake Charles hospital for almost three weeks before her son chose to take her off life support, knowing there was no cure.

Jerry Cotrone said it was the hardest decision he had ever had to make. He and his mother were close friends.

"I'm the one who did everything for her," he said. "We talked every night. I find myself dialing her phone number at night because I'm so used to dialing it."

State health officials said there has been one fatal West Nile virus infection in Brazos County.

In September 2007, a 78-year-old Bryan woman died of West Nile virus, according to Eagle archives.

But there could be more, Williams said.

"Someone could die without being tested, and we would never know," he said.

The decrease in cases this year, Palmer said, is partly due to the hot, dry summer that most of Texas has experienced. She said the key to avoiding the virus is to use mosquito repellent with DEET.

Donnie Manry, who contracted a severe case of West Nile virus more than two years ago and knows Jerry Cotrone, said Pauline Cotrone's death shows that doctors and residents need to be aware of the virus.

"I don't think there's enough emphasis on how critical this is and how critical it is to diagnose it as soon as possible," he said.

Diagnosing the virus early is critical to recovery, he said.

"The key to fighting this is awareness. The more awareness we can get out there, the better off we are," he said. "It doesn't happen to somebody else. It happens to you. It could be your kids, your family. You have to protect yourself."

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Posted by: Vee On: 9/5/2008

Comment Title:
My heartfelt sympathies to this family. I hope awareness will now be raised in the healthcare community.

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