A 13-year-old California boy is recovering in the hospital after developing a rare neurological complication linked to West Nile virus.
Joseph Vasquez of Long Beach is being treated at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles for transverse myelitis, a sudden inflammation of the spinal cord that can damage the protective covering around nerve fibers.
According to his family, Vasquez had been a healthy teenager until mosquito bites appeared on his body and began progressing into a widespread rash roughly two weeks ago.
He later developed a mild headache, aching legs and a low-grade fever.
His condition then worsened rapidly, and he eventually lost the ability to move either leg, his family said.
After he was admitted to the hospital, Vasquez developed intense abdominal pain, neck stiffness and a loss of bladder and bowel control.
Doctors diagnosed transverse myelitis and started steroid treatment, according to his family’s GoFundMe page.
Following several days in the intensive care unit and what relatives described as extensive testing, physicians concluded that West Nile virus had triggered Vasquez’s transverse myelitis.
Joseph Vasquez is receiving care at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles after being diagnosed with transverse myelitis
Transverse myelitis causes sudden spinal cord inflammation and can harm the protective coating surrounding nerve fibers
Transverse myelitis is an uncommon consequence of West Nile virus, especially when the infection becomes neuroinvasive. In those cases, the virus crosses the blood-brain barrier and reaches the meninges, potentially causing meningitis and paralysis.
The case comes as Los Angeles County experiences a significant rise in West Nile virus infections. By October 1, officials had recorded 180 cases, the highest total in nearly a decade.
The County of Los Angeles Public Health Department said 160 of those infections involved neuroinvasive disease.
Those 160 cases included 122 reports of encephalitis, or brain inflammation; 28 cases of meningitis, which affects the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord; and 10 cases of acute flaccid paralysis.
In total, 162 people have been hospitalized and seven deaths have been reported.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention figures, which can trail state and local reporting, show 211 West Nile virus cases in California.
The increase is not limited to California. Across the United States, mosquito-borne illnesses and mosquitoes carrying dangerous pathogens such as West Nile virus are appearing more widely.
Experts point to rising temperatures, continued urban expansion and international travel as factors helping mosquitoes and the diseases they transmit reach areas where they were previously uncommon.
Most people infected with West Nile virus develop no symptoms or only a mild illness. However, severe cases can lead to life-threatening brain inflammation, other serious infections and paralysis.
The virus is spread through bites from Culex mosquitoes. It is particularly common across Great Plains states including North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska and Colorado, while heavily populated metropolitan areas such as Los Angeles, Chicago and Dallas-Fort Worth also report elevated case numbers.
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Many of these states have also extended mosquito season – which runs from late spring through early fall – due to the increases in mosquito prevalence later in the year.
The disease usually causes no symptoms, but in one in five patients, it can lead to fever, headaches, nausea, diarrhea, joint pain and pain behind the eyes.
TM is a rare complication of West Nile virus, particularly in people who develop neuroinvasive disease
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About one in 150 cases are neuroinvasive.
CDC data shows there have been 987 cases of West Nile virus and 750 cases of West Nile virus neuroinvasive disease.
Forty-three states are reporting cases.
Last year, there were 2,167 cases of West Nile virus in total.
It’s unclear how many of last year’s cases were neuroinvasive, but CDC data shows there were 1,342 hospitalizations for neuroinvasive disease.
There were 172 deaths recorded last year.
Older adults, people with weakened immune systems and those with certain chronic conditions face the highest risk of severe illness due to West Nile.
Survivors of severe West Nile illness may experience long-lasting complications, including memory problems, chronic fatigue, muscle tremors or permanent neurological damage.
West Nile virus can be prevented primarily by avoiding mosquito bites.
CDC officials recommend using insect repellents that contain the ingredient DEET, wearing long sleeves and pants outside and staying inside between dusk and dawn during the summer.
Vasquez’s family also urged people to ‘please take mosquito-borne illnesses seriously.’
They wrote: ‘Joseph’s experience has opened our family’s eyes to how quickly a mosquito-borne illness can become a serious medical emergency.
‘Please take precautions to protect yourself and your family from mosquito bites, follow public health recommendations, and seek medical attention if concerning symptoms develop or worsen.
‘We never imagined that something that began with what seemed like minor symptoms could change Joseph’s life so quickly.’
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