Mosquito Bite Leads To Seizures, Brain Swelling In 6-Year-Old Boy

A young boy from North Carolina almost lost his life after a mosquito bite caused seizures and swelling in his brain.

After the ordeal, his mother, LoriAnne Surrett, is urging parents to use bug spray on their children after her son's terrifying brush with La Crosse encephalitis.

Mosquito Bite Leads To Severe Infection

In a Facebook post, Surrett explains that Noah, 6, began complaining of a headache on Saturday, Aug. 4. He took children's pain medication and then went on to spend the night at his grandmother's house.

The next day, Surrett's mother-in-law called, telling her that the child still had a headache. Later, Noah was rushed to the hospital after "not acting right."

By the time Surrett and her husband got to Noah, a paramedic had already arrived as well. At this point, the child was limp, his lips had turned blue, and his temperature was 102.3 degrees.

Noah had two seizures before getting to the hospital where he was immediately admitted to the pediatric ICU.

After several tests including a spinal tap, doctors diagnosed the 6-year-old with La Crosse encephalitis, which is a virus that is transmitted through mosquito bites.

Noah spent most of his time in the following days sleeping, while his medical team gave him an extensive cocktail of medication for the virus, seizures, and pain.

On Thursday, Aug. 9, Surrett posted another social media update announcing that her little boy is finally awake and responsive.

"He talked about snakes, the fire he saw on the tv, and how he wanted to go home," she wrote on Facebook. "He slept about 3 hours and hes up again and almost back asleep ... prayers are working he still has a ways to go but after five days not hearing that sweet little voice, I swear it was the sweetest thing I've ever heard."

About La Crosse Encephalitis

CDC says that La Crosse encephalitis virus is more common in in the upper Midwestern, mid-Atlantic, and southeastern states than other regions.

There are no immediate symptoms, but the first ones to crop up include fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, and tiredness.

As in the case of Noah, severe cases of the disease can cause seizures as well as coma and paralysis. Most of the severe cases occur in individuals below the age of 16.

While rare, long-term disease or death is possible from La Crosse encephalitis.

The best way to avoid infection is to prevent mosquito bites. Bug spray is a must, but other techniques such as wearing long clothing and even staying indoors can be a good idea during mosquito season.