Bellville mother warns of mosquito-carried virus that was “literally torture” for her daughter

Lauren Zehner started first grade in mid-September, a little later than her classmates, after being hospitalized from a mosquito bite. Submitted Photo. BELLVILLE — Bellville mother, Holly Zehner had never heard of the “La Crosse” virus until late last summer. That’s when her 7-year-old daughter had already spent several nerve-racking nights in the hospital, suffered at least one seizure and was acting “out of her mind.” Now Zehner wants other local parents to be aware of the viral disease, which is spread by the eastern treehole mosquito and historically most common in Ohio . According to the Center for Disease Control, there have been 179 reported cases in Ohio between 2008 and 2017, more than the total in any other state. The cases vary in severity, but for Zehner’s daughter Lauren, the disease was “literally torture,” the girl’s mother recalled. Lauren, who was then 6, came down with what initially appeared to be a “summer sickness” last August and was taken to the hospital after her fever spiked to more than 105 degrees. She was diagnosed with a urinary tract infection and sent back home. “I knew that wasn’t what she had, but by the time we left, she felt so much better. She seemed like she was fine,” Holly Zehner said. But only 90 minutes later, she and her husband rushed their daughter right back to the emergency room, where she needed to be sedated for her blood work. “She had no idea what was going on. She was out of her mind basically,” Zehner said. Lauren was shaking, screaming and didn’t even recognize her mother. “She was saying, ‘Water. Water. Thirsty,” Zehner said. “So I gave it to her, and she threw it. Lauren was kept at Nationwide Children’s Hospital last August after she was bit by […]

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