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HONEYVILLE, Box Elder County — An 84-year-old Box Elder County man has died from West Nile virus. It is the first Utah death related to the virus in 2012, following four confirmed cases in the state.
John Max "Rasty" Baugh died Thursday at Ogden Regional Medical Center from complications of the virus. A farmer and cattle rancher, he lived in the Harper Ward area in unincorporated Box Elder County between Brigham City and Honeyville.
"He was a cowboy in the truest sense of a cowboy," said David Baugh, John Baugh's son.
David said his father was a born and bred Utah farm boy who, above all else, was a family man. John Baugh and his love of more than 60 years, Leah, raised six children — David is the youngest.
He just kind of didn't feel real well, (had) kind of flu-like symptoms.
–David Baugh, father died of West Nile Virus
"They made a commitment to each other that no matter what they would be together forever, they would provide that legacy for us kinds. And they did that," David Baugh said.
Since Leah passed away last year, David said his father had had a hard time sleeping. Sometimes he would sit out on his porch in the moonlight and feed his farm cats.
It was during one of those late nights they suspect he was bitten by a mosquito carrying West Nile Virus.
"He just kind of didn't feel real well, (had) kind of flu-like symptoms," David Baugh said.
Though he was 84, John Baugh was in good health. His son said John started feeling sick a couple of weeks ago; within a few days, he was speaking incoherently.
Doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong, and John Baugh was unconscious for more than a week before he died.
"The day he passed away, they diagnosed him with West Nile Virus," David Baugh said.
- High fever
- Severe headache
- Stiff neck
- Disorientation or confusion
- Stupor or coma
- Tremors or muscle jerking
- Lack of coordination
- Convulsions
- Pain
- Partial paralysis or sudden weakness
Lloyd Berentzen, executive director of the Bear River Health Department, said Rasty Baugh's death also serves as a reminder of the seriousness of West Nile virus.
Parts of the county haven't yet had a "hard freeze," which keeps the risk of the illness alive, Berentzen said.
Individuals are encouraged to protect themselves by wearing long-sleeve shirts and long pants while outdoors, especially from dusk until dawn, using insect repellent with DEET, and removing standing water from around their homes, where mosquitoes may breed, Berentzen said.
Two cases of the virus have been confirmed in Box Elder County, including the death last week, and two other human cases have been confirmed in Summit and Weber counties.
Mosquitoes in Box Elder, Davis, Salt Lake, Utah and Washington counties have tested positive for West Nile virus so far this year. A single case in chickens was reported in Cache County and in horses in Box Elder County, according to Utah Department of Health data. The season typically peaks between early September and the end of October.
Utah Department of Health Epidemiologist JoDee Baker said that while Utah has a low case count, it shouldn't be taken lightly.
"Both mosquitoes and weather can play a role in how large an outbreak we see," she said.
Baker said mosquito abatement districts throughout the state continue to work diligently to control the mosquito population.
Berentzen said Utahns should take efforts to protect themselves until the first hard freeze.
