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John Edward Krosinski Jr., 12, fell ill Monday and died later that night at St. Marys Hospital in Rochester, Minn.
Krosinski’s family said the boy may have had encephalitis, a brain inflammation that can be caused by mosquitoes.
That has not been confirmed or ruled out, Monroe County Health Department Director Sharon Nelson said.
But she stressed it was an isolated event and not communicable, and so posed no threat to the community or students, faculty or staff at Meadowview Middle School in Sparta, where Krosinski was in seventh grade.
The Wisconsin Department of Health is working with Monroe County health officials and physicians at Franciscan Skemp Medical Center, where Krosinski was treated before being sent to Rochester, Nelson said.
Meadowview Principal Cheri Kulland called Krosinski a “very likable young man” who had just started football practice.
“He was very energetic and always had a smile on his face,” Kulland said.
A large number of students left school Friday to attend the funeral, with several of Krosinski’s classmates serving as pallbearers, Kulland said.
Sparta school and health officials sent a letter to school families shortly after Krosinski’s death to quell any rumors and calm fears, she said.
Although encephalitis, including the La Crosse strain of the disease, can be spread by mosquito bites, it has other causes as well, said Dave Geske, vector control specialist for several area counties.
Encephalitis is an acute inflammation of the brain that is commonly caused by a virus but also can develop from a bacterial infection.
While Geske stressed this case does not appear to have been mosquito borne, he did note August and September are the peak months for La Crosse encephalitis and West Nile virus.
Heavy rains in August and this month have created near-perfect conditions for mosquitoes carrying both ailments.
“If people are going to go out into nature, we urge them to use repellent. And ask people to empty any containers where water has collected,” Geske said.
Cooler weather will limit how far mosquitoes can travel, but they will continue to be a problem until the area has several killing freezes, likely in late October or early November, Geske said.
Dan Springer can be reached at dspringer@lacrossetribune.com.
