“I had a minor acute strand of West Nile, so I didn’t have the potentially deadly one,” Otiker said.

The mild version of the disease is referred to as West Nile fever, which is the most common form. The symptoms of fever include extreme fatigue, migraines, cramps, and a fever, which last between 3 and 6 days.

“I had the weaker version that just made me home bound,” Otiker said. “I was home bound for the last week of summer.”

Although the fever is not deadly, there is a severe strand known as West Nile Meningitis, or Encephalitis, which can cause muscle weakness, loss of consciousness, confusion, and coma. Extremely severe cases can result in permanent brain damage, muscle weakness, and in some cases, death.

“I actually have a friend who got the West Nile. She got it all, she was hospitalized,” a concerned Allen citizen said. “She was out of commission for four weeks, she could not function at all. I didn’t realize how dangerous it was.”

Standard antibiotics do not help, because it is a viral infection, not bacterial. For the lesser strand, the only way to treat it is to wait for the symptoms to pass.

“There is no treatment, you just have to wait it out,” Otiker said.

Other preventative measures being practiced are aerial and ground spraying. Although the vast majority of Collin County will not be sprayed, some cities, such as Richardson, Dallas, and Plano, have made the decision to spray.

Preventative measures being taken by individuals include using mosquito spray with DEET, the most active ingredient in bug repellant, wearing long sleeves and pants, and draining the stagnant water where mosquitoes breed.

“I am constantly putting on bug spray,” senior Alex Miller said. “When I go outside, I carry bug spray with me so I don’t get bitten by mosquitoes. West Nile would suck!”