Wisconsin boy dies from mosquito-borne illness

ROCKFORD, Ill. -- A 12-year-old boy has died of a rarely fatal form of mosquito-borne encephalitis, health officials say.

Tests confirmed that Albert Stahl's death on Friday was caused by one of several strains of a California encephalitis family, said Debbie Siegenthaler, director of health for LaFayette County, Wis.

Given that the boy seems to have contracted the disease in or around his home town of Gratiot, Wis., the strain is likely La Crosse encephalitis, she said.

The virus causes flu-like symptoms including nausea, vomiting and lethargy.

The emergence of West Nile virus in the Midwest has focused attention on killing mosquitoes and preventing bites. But Siegenthaler said La Crosse encephalitis has been a problem for years.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were 82 cases of La Crosse encephalitis in Wisconsin between 1990 and 1997; there have been 53 cases in Illinois.

Siegenthaler said the illness generally afflicts children 16 and younger, and is fatal in only about 1 percent of cases.

The boy died at a hospital near the Wisconsin line.