Warning as cases of deadly brain infections in children surge – 9 signs you should know
DOCTORS are warning of a rise in deadly brain infections in children.
In 2022, the number of brain abscesses in kids tripled in Nevada, US, rising from an average of four to five a year to 18.
“In my 20 years’ experience, I’ve never seen anything like it,” Dr Taryn Bragg, an associate professor at the University of Utah who treated the cases, told CNN.
Brain abscesses are rare and generally form when fungi or bacteria enter brain tissue because of injury or infection.
The body uses healthy tissue to form an abscess to stop the infection from spreading.
If left untreated, the condition can cause permanent brain damage or death, according to the NHS.
Medics are not sure what has caused the rise, but said it could be due to weakened immunity to infections due to Covid measures such as lockdowns.
The findings were showcased at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s annual Epidemic Intelligence Service Conference and first reported by CNN.
Dr Shaun Rodgers, a paediatric neurosurgeon at Cohen Children’s Medical Center in New York, US, said his hospital is still seeing an above-average number of brain abscesses, a trend that started around the end of 2022.
“It’s not just us. It’s hospitals all over the country,” Rodgers said.
“When we’re talking to colleagues, it seems like everyone is feeling that we’ve definitely had an uptick in these types of infections,” he added.
The 9 brain abscess symptoms to know
According to the NHS symptoms of a brain abscess may develop quickly or slowly but can include:
- headache – which is often severe, located in a single section of the head and cannot be relieved with painkillers
- changes in mental state – such as confusion or irritability
- problems with nerve function – such as muscle weakness, slurred speech or paralysis on one side of the body
- a high temperature
- seizures (fits)
- feeling sick
- being sick
- stiff neck
- changes in vision – such as blurring, greying of vision or double vision (due to the abscess putting pressure on the optic nerve)