West Nile virus claims Carter County man, hospital confirms

“That was hard to watch,” Mike Brady said. “You go from a guy sitting there who had crawled down off a tractor and baled up a hundred bales of hay, to a guy laying in a hospital bed fighting for his life and then losing. It just seems like such a waste.”

Mercy Hospital Oklahoma City confirmed Friday that Bill Brady, 77, of Healdton, was diagnosed with West Nile virus while at the hospital. The state Health Department has not confirmed the death.

There have been three confirmed deaths from West Nile virus and 72 reported cases in Oklahoma this year, according to Health Department data. Oklahoma is one of five states that represent 75 percent of all cases of West Nile virus in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Bill Brady lived in Carter County, which is one of the hardest-hit Oklahoma counties for confirmed West Nile cases.

Carter County has the third-most cases of West Nile virus in the state, with 11, and ranks higher per capita in confirmed cases than Oklahoma or Tulsa counties.

Awareness is key

Mike Brady said his father went to the hospital in late July. His symptoms started with a fever and a pain behind his eyes. The initial thought was that he had a sinus infection.

Doctors diagnosed Bill Brady with West Nile virus based on his symptoms, and the family saw the lab results confirming the disease in early August, Mike Brady said.