For Paul Vercammen, it all started with a mosquito bite. Or several.
Now, the former TV reporter and anchor for KEYT-TV in Santa Barbara, and longtime CNN reporter is recovering from a brush with death, thanks to the West Nile virus.
"I had meningitis and encephalitis...severe dangerous swelling of the brain," said Vercammen.
His ordeal with the mosquito-borne virus began more than a month ago.
"I started saying out loud (that) I'm just not sharp. I kind of have a foggy-headed feeling," recalled Vercammen. "I had a great physical (examination) the month before, but around September 2, I started feeling odd."
Something Vercammen does regularly to help others may have saved his own life. He has an unusual blood type, so he donates blood regularly. After making a donation in early September, he was notified by the Red Cross that his blood showed he had West Nile.
Many people who get the virus don’t get sick or even have symptoms. But as Vercammen developed a fever, he knew what to tell doctors.
"By Friday the 11th, I had a raging headache, double vision, and I was stumbling. I'd fallen twice just getting out of bed. It was clear I needed to get to the ER," said Vercammen.
He was admitted to the UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center with a temperature of 103. He spent the next five days in the hospital and was in a haze throughout most of his stay.
"I remember loved ones and friends visiting, (and) seeing shapes," he said.
He also suffered from aphasia, which is a speaking disorder.
"I was garbling, stumbling, and searching for words. That was really a haunting feeling. I wanted to use words, but why can't I talk?"
West Nile has no medical cure, so doctors focus on managing symptoms and reducing brain swelling. Vercammen gradually recovered during his five-day stay.
It could have been worse. He knows of people who got West Nile and are paralyzed or unable to speak.
State health officials report 298 human West Nile cases so far this year. Nineteen people have died. The figures are the highest in five years.
Vercammen believes he got the virus at a golf driving range in the San Fernando Valley, where he stopped to hit balls at around dusk one night.
"I was just so cavalier about it. I had shorts on, and I didn't have on bug spray," said Vercammen. He said he noticed multiple mosquito bites on him when he got home that night.
"The reason I am doing this interview is I don't want to see anybody else get West Nile virus. Put on your bug spray, wear your long-sleeve shirts, and be mindful if there might be small pools of standing water in your yard where mosquitoes can breed."
Vercammen is in a high-risk group for West Nile, which includes those over 50. People with weakened immune systems also face increased danger.
He's still suffering from some residual symptoms.
"I do get tired easily, and the groggy-headedness is not completely gone," said Vercammen. "There are moments where I find myself searching for a word or a little clarity on a task I am performing. This could happen to anyone, and it did to me."
Vercammen is currently Communications Director for the Santa Barbara-based international relief agency ShelterBox USA.
