A 66-year-old Denton man died Sunday from the West Nile virus, according to his family.

Charlie Mac Sweatman had been sick for nine weeks, said his son Gary. He speculated that his father was bitten by an infected mosquito on one of the many evenings he would sit on the back porch of his Bernard Street home to smoke.

“He couldn’t let it in the house, so he’d go outside,” Gary Sweatman said. “He’d always make a comment about when he was out there and got bit by a mosquito. I guess he got bit one too many times”

Doctors first believed that Charlie Sweatman had the flu, his son said. Then they thought he had meningitis; 20 days after he first became ill, doctors diagnosed him with West Nile.

Denton County health officials confirmed the West Nile virus death of a person with underlying medical conditions, although they would not confirm the name of the individual.

The virus is always a concern for county health officials during the summer, said Betsy Haggard, spokeswoman for the county health department.

“We usually don’t hear about it any other time than that. This gentleman was diagnosed in September. We do get cases in October because we’re a hotter climate,” she said. “We forget West Nile can be so serious. For most people, they may get a fever and they feel sick, but not something life-altering.”

The West Nile virus becomes life-threatening in only 1 percent of cases, Haggard said.

“What we always like to tell people is it is completely preventable,” Haggard said. “Wear insect repellent any time they are outside, remove any standing water around their house, avoid dusk and dawn, dress in long sleeves and pants — which is hard to do amidst the Texas heat. But even a thin layer can protect from mosquito bites.”

Charlie Sweatman was a lifelong Denton resident.

His son said he remembers when city trucks used to spray for mosquitoes.

“You can’t blame it on the city, can’t blame it on anybody,” Gary Sweatman said. “It’s just something that happened.”

People should “know that a mosquito can actually take your life, because it took something special from me,” he said.

BJ LEWIS can be reached at 940-566-6875. His e-mail address is blewis@dentonrc.com.