September may bring cooler mornings, football games and the first signs of fall, but one Georgia family’s experience is a sobering reminder that mosquito season isn’t necessarily over.
Patti McCoy, a 62-year-old grandmother from Marietta, Georgia, was active, exercised regularly and enjoyed spending time with her grandchildren.
Then, in late August, she developed a high fever, fatigue, body aches and nausea.
Within days, her condition became frighteningly serious.
Her daughter, Sarah Wunderlick, told WSB-TV in Atlanta that McCoy’s life—and her family’s—had been turned upside down because of a mosquito.
Her family initially saw symptoms that looked like a stroke
According to local reporting, McCoy’s symptoms began in late August.
Then, on September 2, her husband found her in bed displaying symptoms that appeared similar to a stroke.
She was rushed to the hospital.
Her condition continued to decline.
McCoy developed a very high fever, shaking and tremors. She became confused and had difficulty speaking.
Eventually, she had to be intubated.
Her family learned that she had contracted West Nile virus.
McCoy spent about two weeks in intensive care, according to WRDW’s report on her case.
For her family, the speed with which an ordinary mosquito bite became a serious medical emergency was difficult to comprehend.
She had one important risk factor
McCoy’s family described her as otherwise healthy and active, but she had undergone a kidney transplant 11 years earlier.
She takes medication that suppresses her immune system to help prevent her body from rejecting the transplanted organ.
That matters with West Nile virus.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says people with weakened immune systems, including people taking certain medications used to prevent rejection of transplanted organs, face a greater risk of developing severe West Nile illness.
Age can also increase the risk.
According to the CDC, adults 65 and older are about three times as likely to develop neurologic illness from West Nile as people younger than 65.
But severe illness isn’t limited exclusively to those groups.
Anyone infected with West Nile can potentially become seriously ill.
Most people with West Nile never know they have it
One reason West Nile can be easy to overlook is that most infections don’t cause noticeable illness.
The CDC estimates that about 80% of people infected with West Nile virus don’t develop symptoms at all.
About 20% develop an illness that can include fever, headache, body aches, joint pain, vomiting, diarrhea or a rash.
For most of those people, the illness is relatively mild, although fatigue and weakness can sometimes continue for weeks or months.
A much smaller percentage develop severe disease.
According to the CDC, less than 1% of infected people develop severe illness affecting the central nervous system.
That can include encephalitis, which is inflammation of the brain, or meningitis, an inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord.
Severe symptoms can include high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness, confusion, tremors, muscle weakness, convulsions, vision loss, numbness and paralysis.
The CDC advises people experiencing symptoms including high fever, neck stiffness, muscle weakness, confusion or tremors to seek immediate medical attention.
Georgia health officials are warning that cases are increasing
McCoy’s illness comes as Georgia health officials are warning residents about West Nile activity.
The Georgia Department of Public Health announced on September 16 that the state had confirmed eight human cases of West Nile virus in 2026 and one death, with officials expecting the number of cases to increase.
Mosquito traps had also tested positive for West Nile virus in multiple Georgia counties.
Health officials emphasized something families may not realize as summer winds down:
Mosquito season in Georgia typically continues through October.
That makes September an important time to continue taking precautions rather than assuming cooler weather has eliminated the risk.
West Nile typically peaks around this time of year
The timing isn’t unique to Georgia.
According to the CDC’s overview of West Nile virus, mosquito season generally runs from summer into fall, typically from June through October.
The number of people diagnosed with West Nile illness generally peaks in late August through early September.
West Nile is also the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in the continental United States.
The virus is most commonly transmitted when a person is bitten by an infected mosquito.
Mosquitoes themselves become infected after feeding on infected birds.
There is no human West Nile vaccine
Unlike some infectious diseases, there currently isn’t a licensed vaccine that people can receive to prevent West Nile virus.
There also isn’t a specific medicine that cures the infection.
That makes avoiding mosquito bites especially important.
The CDC’s West Nile prevention guidance recommends using an EPA-registered insect repellent when spending time outdoors.
Families can also reduce exposure by wearing long, loose-fitting shirts and pants when practical and making sure window and door screens are in good condition.
The mosquitoes that commonly transmit West Nile are particularly active between dusk and dawn.
Don’t forget the standing water around the house
Families can also take a look around their own yards.
Mosquitoes need surprisingly little standing water to reproduce.
Flowerpot saucers, buckets, children’s toys, clogged gutters, birdbaths and other containers can collect water after rain or irrigation.
Removing unnecessary standing water can help reduce mosquito breeding around the home.
For water that cannot easily be removed, the CDC says appropriately used mosquito larvicides may be an option.
September isn’t necessarily the end of mosquito season
By September, it’s easy to mentally move on from summer problems.
Families are back in school routines. Fall decorations begin appearing. Temperatures start changing, and mosquitoes may no longer feel like something worth worrying about.
But West Nile activity doesn’t follow the calendar quite that neatly.
McCoy’s illness began in late August and became a medical emergency just as many families were beginning to think about fall.
Her experience doesn’t mean every mosquito bite should cause alarm. Most people infected with West Nile never become sick, and severe disease remains uncommon.
But it does offer a reason not to put away the mosquito repellent just yet.
For families—particularly those with older relatives, transplant recipients or people with weakened immune systems—the arrival of September doesn’t necessarily mean the risk has disappeared.
Sometimes one mosquito is enough to make the end of summer look very different.
Sources: WSB-TV — Patti McCoy’s West Nile story | WRDW — West Nile cases affecting Georgia families | CDC — West Nile symptoms | CDC — Preventing West Nile | CDC — About West Nile virus