An 18-year-old Missouri man has been left paralyzed from the neck down and can only breathe with the aid of a ventilator after contracting the West Nile virus.
John Proctor VI, affectionately known as “BB,” began experiencing headaches and dizziness earlier this month and within days his speech became slurred and he was unable to lift his arm or smile, local broadcaster NBC reported. KSDK Software Development Kit reported.
The boy’s parents, who feared their son might be having a stroke, rushed him to the emergency room on Aug. 11. After conducting tests, doctors revealed their son had contracted the sometimes-fatal mosquito-borne disease.
According to Dr. Farrin Manion, chairman of the Department of Medicine at Mercy St. Louis, Proctor’s case is rare: “A small fraction of them will develop neuroinvasive disease, which is the virus attacking our nervous system, the brain or spinal cord.”
There is currently no vaccine or treatment and his parents are praying that their son “makes a full recovery.”
John Proctor VI is on a ventilator to help him breathe after being diagnosed with West Nile virus. His parents, John Proctor V and his mother are by his side.
The 18-year-old had just graduated from high school in the spring.
The teenager had just graduated from high school in the spring and was working to become a diesel mechanic.
His father said in a GoFundMe that he fell ill “out of the blue” and then “progressively worsened over a matter of days.”
On Sunday, doctors at Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis told her that her son had contracted a severe case of the West Nile virus.
“Doctors finally figured out what wreaked so much havoc on our son’s previously healthy body. Our son contracted a severe case of West Nile virus from a mosquito bite right here in North St. Louis County,” Proctor said.
He said his son is now recovering from a stroke and pneumonia.
On Monday, he shared that doctors removed the breathing tube from his mouth and placed a tracheostomy to help him start breathing, in addition to rehabilitation and physical therapy.
“Our son is very weak right now and is making small but great improvements in the ability to move his right arm and both legs. His left arm is still very weak, he can’t move his neck or sit up on his own,” Proctor said.
Proctor holds his high school diploma from McCluer High School
The boy’s father, John Proctor V, is praying for his son to make a full recovery from a virus for which there is no treatment or vaccine.
‘The doctor says it will be a marathon to try to get him back to what he was before this virus nearly killed him.
‘Please continue to keep BB high in your prayers, pray for our family and his friends during this traumatic time and keep the doctors and medical staff high in your prayers as well.’
About one in 150 people experience severe symptoms of West Nile virus that affects the central nervous system, including inflammation of the brain, or meningitis, and inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. NBC News.
Symptoms include neck stiffness, headache, disorientation and paralysis. Recovery can take weeks or months and some effects may be permanent.
Earlier this month, Dr. Anthony Fauci, former chief medical adviser to President Biden, was hospitalized for nearly a week with West Nile virus infection.
Fauci told the health and medicine publication STATISTICS that “I had never been so sick in my life.”
“I felt like I had been hit by a truck,” said the 83-year-old doctor. “This is by far the worst illness I have ever experienced.”
West Nile virus is a flavivirus, a viral family that includes St. Louis encephalitis virus, Japanese encephalitis virus and Powassan virus, according to the health publication.
Earlier this month, Dr. Anthony Fauci, former chief medical adviser to President Biden, was hospitalized for nearly a week with West Nile virus infection.
West Nile virus is a flavivirus, a viral family that includes St. Louis encephalitis virus, Japanese encephalitis virus and Powassan virus, according to the health publication.
The virus is transmitted by infected mosquitoes and is the leading cause of mosquito-borne illness in the United States. It usually has no symptoms, but those who do have them can become seriously ill.
There is no vaccine to protect against the mosquito-borne disease and no specific antiviral drugs to treat it.
Intravenous fluids and painkillers are used to treat severe cases.
Experts explain that the months of August and September are peak season and when most cases occur.
The best way to protect yourself is to limit the time you spend outdoors and use insect repellent.
As of Thursday afternoon, the family’s GoFundMe had raised nearly $2,000 of its $10,000 goal.