Warning as Aussie man left on deathbed from mosquito bite
Dylan Meyer, 21, was enjoying a typical camping trip with his mates – but it nearly cost him his life.
A young mechanic has issued a stark warning to all Australians after he was almost killed from what he thought was "just another mosquito bite".
Dylan Meyer, 21, was enjoying a typical camping trip with his mates back in March at Rutherglen, in northern Victoria, when he started feeling gravely ill. The Albury man said he started to vomit uncontrollably in the days after being bitten by the mosquito and later passed out at work.
Camping trip turns into months-long nightmare
Meyer — who had been training to be a diesel mechanic — was soon diagnosed with Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), Murray Valley encephalitis virus, and autoimmune encephalitis, the ABC reported. He became so ill that he was placed on life support for a total of four months.
"I was aware of the virus. I just didn't think anything of it. I thought it was just another mosquito bite," Dylan told the ABC of the disease, which has an alarmingly high mortality rate when it takes hold.
Dylan's mother Debra Meyer-Saunders said the situation was so severe she'd mentally prepared for his death. "Back in March, I was actually planning my 21-year-old's funeral in my head," she said.
Four months of hospital treatment in both Albury and Melbourne eventually came to an end in September, but things continued to prove "difficult" for the family.
Dylan Meyer has a long road ahead to recovery
"Bringing him home was difficult," Meyer-Saunders said. "I know most people think it would be easy, but it was difficult because we brought Dylan home with a wheelchair, a walker, a shower chair, a toilet chair and a normal chair.
"You don't realise all this equipment you need. You don't realise, 'oh he can't do anything himself'."
Now needing constant support, Dylan is gradually rebuilding his life and learning critical skills again. His memory in particular took a major hit as a result of the virus, in addition to his balance, fine motor skills and speech.
"It's disheartening because I've gone from a life where I was doing everything by myself," he said, adding that his goal for 2024 is to get back to work. He's so far managed to complete a few hours per week and has even been fishing again.
He is urging Australians to get vaccinated so nobody else has to face the harrowing ordeal he'd been put through.
"I want to get everyone to know that this virus can and will kill you, get the vaccine and cover up," he said. "I wasn't lucky, I was determined. I was very determined to beat this thing."
Deadly virus rising in Australia
The deadly mosquito-borne disease recently spiked across Australia, health officials say.
State health agencies from Queensland to Western Australia have recorded a troubling uptick in Murray Valley encephalitis cases, a rare but dangerous illness that can kill or lead to permanent neurological damage such as paralysis and brain damage.
NSW Health has recorded six cases of Murray Valley this year compared with zero cases in 2022, a single case in 2021 and zero cases in 2020 and 2019. Queensland Health has recorded two cases this year compared with none in the previous four years to 2019.
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