Doctors say paralysis is a rare and severe reaction to the tropical disease, which causes few or no symptoms in most people.
A healthy teenager is paralyzed from the neck down and fighting for his life on a ventilator after contracting a deadly virus from a mosquito bite. Health officials say the boy was diagnosed with West Nile virus, now the leading cause of vector-borne disease in the United States.
Health officials say paralysis is a rare and severe reaction to the tropical disease, which causes few or no symptoms in most people but can be serious, even fatal, in others.
There have been several cases of West Nile virus in the country in recent months, raising alarm bells. Experts say it takes months for people with severe cases to recover. According to the CDC, preliminary data shows that at least 18 people have died in the United States this year from the virus. Last year, there were 182 deaths.
A teenager was left connected to a respirator
According to the boy’s family, his nightmare began after he experienced routine symptoms such as headache and dizziness early last month, but instead of recovering, his condition continuously deteriorated, leaving him on a ventilator and paralyzed.
When he initially went to the emergency room, doctors diagnosed him with tension headaches and dehydration, prescribed over-the-counter medications and told him to rest. But his father says the teen began vomiting violently and running a high fever, causing him to be in and out of the hospital. “They thought he had meningitis, so they ran some tests,” his father shared with a local news station.
The next day, his father recalled that he had stroke-like symptoms and pneumonia. “He couldn’t move and his speech was slurred,” he said.
After that, the 18-year-old was taken back to the hospital, admitted to the ICU and connected to a respirator. Despite being treated at four different hospitals, it took more than 20 doctors more than two weeks to identify the cause of his rapid deterioration: the West Nile virus.
Slowly recovering
The boy’s family says the virus has had a devastating effect on his body as he has limited mobility, especially on his left side. He is also unable to stand without support for his weight and head. However, his father says the teenager has undergone a tracheotomy to help him breathe and has started physical therapy.
What is West Nile virus??
According to experts, the West Nile virus is an arbovirus, that is, a virus that is transmitted through an arthropod. It is an RNA virus of the genus flavivirus and similar viruses cause dengue, yellow fever and Zika. Infected mosquitoes that transmit West Nile virus typically contract the virus by biting an infected bird. Doctors say the incubation period is usually two to six days after the bite.
Signs and symptoms of West Nile virus
Some signs and symptoms of West Nile virus include:
- High fever
- Headache and muscle pain
- Nausea and vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Skin rash
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Sore throat
- Pain behind the eyes
- Confusion
- Muscle weakness
- Seizures
- Paralysis
West Nile virus infections have also emerged in Europe, with 13 countries across the continent reporting cases, according to the latest figures published by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.
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