A 6-year-old boy died on Sunday from polio-like symptoms that has affected seven other children in the state of Washington.
Daniel Ramirez was taken to Seattle Children’s Hospital in October afflicted with an unknown virus that caused his brain to swell. He was placed in a
medically induced coma, according to the GoFundMe page created by his family.
“It saddens us to announce that Daniel passed away on Sunday, October 30, 2016, surrounded by his family,” the family wrote on their sons Facebook page. “Daniel was an amazingly sweet
little boy, who could put a smile on anyone’s face.
He had a personality that made him loved by everyone who ever met him. Daniel was taken from us too soon, but his memory will live on, and he will never be forgotten. Rest In Peace Sweet
Daniel!”
The rare condition has been documented in 33 states that have confirmed cases of Acute Flaccid
Myelitis (AFM) in 89 patients, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most of those patients have been children.
“It’s something that’s very scary for people because it’s a polio-like illness and it can show up in otherwise healthy children,” Dr. Aaron Michael Milstone, the Associate Professor Pediatrics at
John Hopkins University School of Medicine, said in early October.
AFM is very similar to polio in its target of the nervous system, spinal chord and symptoms of limp weakness, paralysis and respiratory failure.
“We’ve been talking about this for a couple years now, we first noticed it two years ago,” Milstone, who conducts research on AFM, said. “The speculation is that Enterovirus D68 is the cause of the virus.”
That Paralyses Children on the Rise
Milestone’s advice for parents concerned their children are at risk for contracting the virus is to implement good health practices such as washing
hands frequently and avoiding contact with people who are sick. This includes letting common cold symptoms pass and being on alert for limb weakness.
No comments:
Post a Comment