He has a complex, bumpy, painful road ahead of him. But he’s alive and that’s all that matters today. A young Florida boy has been miraculously rescued after contracting a rare and devastating brain infection with a 97% fatality rate. 14-year-old Caleb Ziegelbaur spent nearly a year in the hospital battling the amoeba.
The virus hit him during a brackish bath in the Port Charlotte area. Doctors believe he’s infected naegleria fowleri According to the latest data, only 4 of the 154 people who contracted the microscopic virus in the United States between 1962 and 2021 survived.
Caleb succeeds but is paralyzed: He can only communicate with facial expressions and has to use a wheelchair to get around.
The nightmare started a year ago, on July 1, 2022. A week later he began to have headaches and fever, followed by hallucinations. He was hospitalized on July 9, and his mother, Jesse, told NBC that his condition had “fallen” even during an hour’s drive. He remained in the hospital semi-conscious for months. It’s a nuisance. But her parents are always there for her, and every little improvement gives hope.
The amoeba is a small unicellular animal that can be found mostly in warm fresh waters such as lakes and rivers, especially in summer. It usually enters the body through the nose and travels through the sinuses to the brain, where it triggers primary amoebic meningoencephalitis, an often fatal brain infection. In the early stages, patients initially experience headache, fever, nausea and vomiting, followed by hallucinations and seizures.
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Source: Today IT
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.