5-Year-Old Sudbury Girl Battling EEE Shows Improvement

SUDBURY, MA — After almost a week in the hospital, Sophia Garabedian is making progress in her fight against Eastern equine encephalitis. The 5-year-old is the youngest victim of EEE in the state and was in critical condition last week. She was among seven people to contract the deadly virus in the Bay State this summer.

Garabedian was moved out of the intensive care unit late this week and started various types of therapy, according to a GoFundMe page. When Garabedian arrived in the hospital, she was suffering from "severe flu symptoms, headaches, and appeared to be having a seizure.

"She had a very high fever and brain swelling and quickly became unresponsive," according to the page.

The fundraiser started with a goal of $100,000, but thanks to an outpouring of support, the goal was quickly met. A new goal was set at $200,000 to help the girl's family pay for the hospital stay, treatments, therapy, modifications for accessibility and long-term rehabilitation.

On Tuesday, the organizer of the page, Debbie Moynihan, said Garabedian was in fair condition, an improvement from when she was first admitted in critical condition.

"She is still unable to talk or walk and has limited cognitive function," the update reads.

Garabedian started pet therapy Thursday morning.

Garabedian was getting ready for her second week of kindergarten when she contracted EEE from a mosquito bite. She was the seventh person in the state to contact EEE this summer. Several MetroWest communities canceled outdoor recess for schools as a precaution. EEE virus is transmitted through mosquito bites.

Aerial spraying was scheduled by the Department of Public Health for several communities across the state throughout the week to keep the virus and mosquitos at bay. West Nile Virus, another mosquito-borne illness was confirmed in a Middlesex County man on Wednesday — this is the first confirmed human case of West Nile Virus this year. There were 49 human cases of West Nile in Massachusetts last year.

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