Two Covenanters Diagnosed with West Nile Virus

LaVerne Anderson, a longtime parishioner at Ravenswood Covenant Church in Chicago, was diagnosed with virus more than a week ago. She is in Alden-Poplar Creek Rehabilitation and Health Care Center in Hoffman Estates, where two sons live nearby. Ravenswood Covenant Church staff members report her recovery is good, although it has been a difficult week.

Meanwhile, Gunnar Anderson of North Park Covenant Church in Chicago also has been diagnosed with the illness. Pastor Art Nelson stated that Anderson is recovering, although he had experienced disorientation and paralysis, two of the symptoms of those with more serious infections.

A total of 224 cases of the mosquito-borne West Nile virus were recorded in Illinois as of last weekend with nine deaths attributed to the illness, according to a Chicago Tribune report. The virus, which is common in Africa, West Asia and the Middle East, has been difficult to detect because at first it causes only mild flu-like symptoms after one is bitten by a mosquito. It is estimated that 1 in 150 persons infected will develop a more serious form of the illness.

Cards can be sent to LaVerne Anderson at Alden-Poplar Creek Rehabilitation and Health Center, 1545 Barrington Road, Hoffman Estates, IL, 60194. Visits are also welcome. Gunnar Anderson is hospitalized in the Anderson Pavilion unit of Swedish Covenant Hospital, 5145 N. California, Chicago, IL, 60625.

For more information about West Nile virus, visit www.cdc.gov, the web site of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

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