Lt. Thomas Flahive, 58, was bitten by mosquito during a family trip to Wisconsin, according to the city’s Fire Media Affairs Director Larry Langford.
The firefighters of Engine Company 108 from the Milwaukee and Laramie firehouse said they never thought a large guy like Flahive would succumb due to a mosquito bite. After being bitten, Flahive exhibited flu-like symptoms, then slipped into a coma and suffered irreversible brain damage before breathing his last.
He is survived by his wife and three adult children. His family has decided to donate his brain so it would be utilized for West Nile virus research and how it affects the human body.
The Illinois Department of Public Health has reported 179 cases of humans infected with West Nile virus this year, resulting in six deaths.