Lafayette Man Recovering From West Nile Virus

A Lafayette man says he's lucky to be alive after contracting West Nile Virus.  

"It was a rough two-and-a-half weeks, but I feel real lucky," said Russell Richard (pictured), who was diagnosed with the mosquito-borne illness last week, just as his symptoms subsided.  "High fever, aches and pains, nausea, weight loss, but the high fever was the worst part of it."  

While Richard was never hospitalized, he says it took four visits to the doctor before a blood culture tested positive for WNV.