A 13-year-old Long Beach boy is bedridden and unable to move his legs after a mosquito bite led to West Nile virus and a rare spinal cord condition, according to a GoFundMe launched by his family.
Joseph Vasquez has spent three weeks at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles after developing transverse myelitis, a severe inflammation of the spinal cord. Before this, he was a healthy kid who played soccer and followed the Dodgers, Raiders and Lakers.
It started small: a full-body rash, mild headache, leg pain and low-grade fever. Then it got much worse. Joseph lost the ability to move either leg. He developed excruciating abdominal pain, a stiff neck, and lost control of his bladder and bowels.
Doctors first diagnosed transverse myelitis and put him on steroids. After days in intensive care and more testing, they confirmed West Nile virus as the cause.
“Today, Joseph is facing challenges no 13-year-old should ever have to face,” his family wrote on the fundraiser. “He has lost the use of his legs, loss of bladder and bowel control, and is in excruciating nerve pain from the lower back down to his feet.”
The family says doctors have told them Joseph’s condition is extraordinarily rare, and there isn’t enough research to say how his recovery will go.
His mother, Maria Salazar, a widow raising three kids, hasn’t left his side. She’s also the family’s only income earner and hasn’t been able to work while caring for Joseph, which is why relatives are asking for donations to cover living expenses, medical bills, transportation and rehab.
“We never imagined that something that began with what seemed like minor symptoms could change Joseph’s life so quickly,” the family wrote.
A Bad Year for West Nile in LA County
Joseph’s case lands in the middle of a serious spike in West Nile infections across Los Angeles County. The county’s Department of Public Health has logged 100 infections and five deaths this year, the highest count this early in mosquito season in almost a decade.
Nearly every reported case this year has been severe, with most patients landing in the hospital, though officials say plenty of mild infections never get diagnosed at all.
“West Nile virus can cause serious illness, and the number of severe cases and deaths we are seeing this year is concerning,” said LA County Health Officer Dr. Muntu Davis.
Most people who get infected never show symptoms. About one in five develops fever, headaches, body aches or a rash. But roughly one in 150 develops a severe illness that can hit the brain or spinal cord and cause paralysis. There’s no vaccine and no specific treatment.
Mosquito season runs from June through November. Health officials are telling people to use insect repellent, dump standing water, and fix torn window screens.
For now, Joseph’s family is asking for prayers and support as he faces a long, uncertain recovery.
“We are holding onto hope knowing that Joseph still has a long road ahead of him,” his family wrote.
