Long Beach Boy, 13, Loses Use Of Legs After Contracting West Nile Virus

LONG BEACH, CA — A previously healthy 13-year-old Long Beach boy who loved playing soccer has lost the use of his legs after contracting West Nile virus and developing a rare neurological complication, according to his family.

Joseph Vazquez is hospitalized at Children's Hospital Los Angeles after being diagnosed with transverse myelitis, an inflammation of the spinal cord, according to a fundraiser established for his family.

Doctors initially treated Joseph with steroids for transverse myelitis before testing determined West Nile virus was responsible for his complications, his family said.

Joseph's illness comes during Long Beach's worst West Nile virus year in more than a decade. The city had recorded 28 confirmed and probable cases as of Sept. 10, the highest annual total since 2014, when 56 cases were reported. Of this year's cases, 21 involved neuroinvasive disease and 22 patients were hospitalized, according to the Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services.

Joseph's family told KTLA that he has been hospitalized for weeks.

According to the fundraiser, Joseph was a healthy teenager who enjoyed playing soccer and watching the Dodgers, Raiders and Lakers before becoming ill. What began with mosquito bites was followed by a full-body rash, mild headache, increasing leg pain and a low-grade fever.

His symptoms worsened until he lost mobility in both legs. While hospitalized, Joseph also developed severe abdominal pain, a stiff neck and loss of bladder and bowel control, his family said.

After days in intensive care and extensive testing, doctors determined that West Nile virus was responsible for the complications he was experiencing, according to the fundraiser. His family said Joseph continues to experience severe nerve pain from his lower back to his feet

Severe West Nile Disease Is Rare

Most people infected with West Nile virus never develop symptoms, while about 20 percent develop fever and other symptoms including headache, body aches, joint pain, vomiting, diarrhea or rash, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Less than 1 percent develop neuroinvasive disease affecting the central nervous system. The CDC says severe neurological disease can include meningitis, encephalitis and acute flaccid myelitis, which can cause limb weakness and paralysis.

The increase in West Nile infections extends beyond Long Beach. As of Oct. 2, California had recorded 252 human cases this year, including 111 in Los Angeles County, according to the state's West Nile virus surveillance system. Nineteen West Nile-related deaths had been reported statewide, including four in Los Angeles County.

Family Faces A 'Long Road Ahead'

Joseph's mother, Maria Salazar, is a widowed mother of three and the family's sole provider, according to the fundraiser. She has remained at Joseph's bedside and has been unable to work while caring for him.

The family created the GoFundMe for Joseph to help cover living expenses, travel, medical-related costs and rehabilitation during his hospitalization and recovery.

As of Monday afternoon, the fundraiser had raised more than $7,100 from 115 donations toward a $12,000 goal.
"We are holding onto hope knowing that Joseph still has a long road ahead of him," the family wrote.

Long Beach health officials recommend using EPA-registered insect repellent, wearing protective clothing and eliminating standing water where mosquitoes can breed. The city's West Nile virus information page also includes current local case data and information about preventing mosquito bites.