An Arizona man was paralyzed from the waist down after getting bitten by a mosquito infected with the West Nile virus. Doctors said it's extremely rare for people infected with the West Nile to develop neurological problems.
'Excruciating Pain'
Phoenix, Arizona's Nicholas Cornelius flu-like symptoms after acquiring West Nile from a mosquito bite, CBS Los Angeles reported. According to Cornelius, he felt the "most excruciating pain" and it's both the physical and mental kind.
After developing flu-like symptoms, Cornelius' "left leg started shutting down" and he couldn't walk, according to Fox News. His right leg can hardly function too. Cornelius said the experience is too painful for him, adding that he was just running around with his two children two weeks ago but now he can't use his legs.
Doctors are not sure if Cornelius will regain his legs' complete use. Seventy to 80 percent of people infected with the virus do not develop any symptoms, but those who do experience headache, vomiting, diarrhea, joint pains, skin rashes and body aches, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention listed.
Less than one percent of people infected with the West Nile virus will develop serious neurologic problems like encephalitis or meningitis (inflammation of the brain and the tissues covering it). Those who are at high risk of developing neurologic conditions due to West Nile are people over 60 years old and those who have other medical problems like cancer, diabetes, hypertension, kidney disorders and individuals who underwent organ transplants.
A woman in Indiana County, Pennsylvania also tested positive for West Nile virus, Abington Patch reported. Multiple mosquitoes found in the state's Montgomery County and Blair County was confirmed to be West Nile-carriers.
How Neurological Problems Occur
Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious-disease specialist and a senior associate at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's Center for Health Security, said Cornelius' condition was "extremely rare," Live Science reported. Adalja said neurological symptoms take place when viruses like the West Nile break through the blood-brain barrier, which serves as the body's defense system against pathogens in the bloodstream attempting to penetrate the brain. Other viruses capable of crossing the barrier are polio, Zika and rabies.
After a virus crosses that barrier, it will target the brain and the nervous system. Brain cells could develop inflammation and others could die. The symptoms of neurologic problems are coma, headache, disorientation, high fever, stiff neck, tremors, seizures and paralysis, like in Cornelius' case.
Adalja said there are currently no treatments or vaccines for the West Nile virus, Live Science further reported. Paralysis due to the virus may be for the long-term.
