Private: Woman speaks out as husband battles West Nile amid record surge in positive mosquito samples

The Beards celebrated their 50th anniversary in a Chandler hospital, where 71-year-old Delma was diagnosed with West Nile virus. This was just weeks after he battled COVID-19. Her husband has been hospitalized since early September, initially suffering from respiratory failure. He was in a coma for days. Doctors then transferred him to KPC Promise Hospital in Phoenix for high-intensity rehabilitation. ABC15 reached out to Dr. Bobbi Pritt, a microbiologist with the Mayo Clinic. In a statement, she says: “There is currently no cure or specific antiviral drug to target the West Nile virus. All we can do is provide supportive care for the patient.” The Maricopa County Environmental Services Department has been monitoring the issue and provided us new numbers showing the total number of mosquito-related complaints, from neighbors reporting standing water, to be more than double than this time last year. “This is the highest number that we have ever reported in terms of traps testing positive for West Nile,” says Johnny Diloné, CPM with Maricopa County Environmental Services Department.