Thomas Alan Shade, Victim-OH

Man, 31, succumbs to West Nile virus
William Smead says his son, Alan Shade, struggled with the disease since contracting it in 2002.

By Steve Bennish and Ryan Fox

Staff Writers

Thursday, January 18, 2007

WEST CARROLLTON — A man who contracted West Nile Virus in 2002 while at his job at a Middletown warehouse has died of complications from the disease spread by mosquitoes.

Thomas Alan Shade was only 31 when he died in his West Carrollton apartment on Monday after struggling with the disease for years, his father, William Smead of Centerville, said Wednesday night.

Smead said his son, formerly of Franklin, and two co-workers took a break from their jobs at a warehouse. While resting under a tree, they were bitten by mosquitoes and developed flu-like symptoms.

Shade's symptoms worsened and he never recovered, Smead said. He lapsed into a coma for four weeks and remained in the Bellbrook Rehab and Healthcare Center for four years, for a time needing the assistance of a ventilator. When he recently left the center to take up residence in an apartment, he needed the assistance of home care nurses because of partial paralysis, Smead said.

Smead said the Montgomery County Coroner's Office is to perform an autopsy.

Wednesday evening, Bill Wharton of the Montgomery County Combined Health District said he was unaware of any West Nile cases in the county and said the department is not currently monitoring any potential cases. He said the department urges people to protect themselves with repellent during summer months when mosquitoes are active.

The virus is spread by certain species of mosquitoes, which become infected when they bite infected birds, according to the medical Web site WebMD. People then become infected when the mosquitoes bite them.

The majority of infections either cause no symptoms, or they cause symptoms so mild that people don't realize they have been infected, according to WebMD. In rare cases, the virus can lead to inflammation of the brain or the tissues surrounding the brain and spinal cord.

Fewer than 1 percent of victims will become severely ill, according to the Web site.

Shade also is survived by two daughters, three brothers, and two sisters. Visitation is 6 p.m. Friday, with the funeral at 8 at Gebhart-Schmidt-Parramore Funeral Home, on East Linden Avenue in Miamisburg.



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