Adam Tyler Goodell, 6-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Ray Goodell of Vermont, died Wednesday, Sept. 18, 1985, at St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria.
The boy died of symptoms from non-contagious viral encephalitis which was evidently caused by a mosquito bite, according to Herbert Buzbee, Peoria County Coroner. “It’s not common, but it’s not uncommon,” Buzbee said of the disease, which is caused by a virus carried by birds and given to mosquitoes and ticks.
The boy was admitted to McDonough Districct Hospital Monday and transferred to St. Francis Medical Center on Tuesday because his condition was changing, said Kathy Crawley, McDonough District Hospital nurse supervisor. “We wanted to assure him of correct and proper care,” she said.
Encephalitis takes several forms and can be relatively non-severe, said Rex Still, director of environmental health at the McDonough County Health Department. He said severe cases of encephalitis cause headaches, high fevers and sometimes convulsions and comas. “The onset is very quick,” Still said.
It takes from five to fifteen days to come down with encephalitis after receiving a bite from a mosquito or tick, Still said. He stressed that the disease cannot be directly transmitted; it is not contagious.
“The number of cases in the country each year indicate that the disease is not very common,” Still said. He added that in some cases the victim can recover on their own or in a hospital under medical supervision depending on their susceptibility to the disease.
“I can’t recall any cases of encephalitis in McDonough County in the past eight years,” Still said.
Adam was born May 21, 1979, the son of Ray and Kathy (Creasey) Goodell.
Survivors include his parents of rural Vermont; one brother, Derek at home; and grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Woody Goodell and Mr. and Mrs. Harlan Creasey, all of Table Grove.
Graveside services were held at 2 p.m. Saturday in Vermont Cemetery with Rev. David Haney officiating.
Current Obituaries in the Astoria South Fulton Argus