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An otherwise healthy eight-year-old Minnesota girl who contracted COVID has remained paralyzed and is fighting for her life after the virus triggered a rare autoimmune disease – and her doctor says there is a rash of similar cases around the world.
While Avella Braun was a perfectly normal young girl living in the southern Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington just six months ago, her whole life changed after testing positive for the virus in early March.
She initially suffered only from low fevers, until her mother, Lani Bauer, found her unconscious just days after her positive COVID test, taking the girl to a nearby hospital where she was rushed to hospital. intensive care unit and intubated.
Avella has been diagnosed with a rare case of acute disseminated encephalitis (ADEM), or inflammation of the brain, when the body’s immune system attacks itself, causing swelling in the spinal cord and brain.
ADEM is caused by viral infections, with the only Avella virus being positive for the coronavirus, according to the local news network KMSP.
“We have every reason to believe COVID was the trigger virus here,” Avella pediatrician Dr. Michael Pitt told the network.
8-year-old Avella Braun, pictured, tested positive for the virus in March 2021 and suffered only low fevers for the most part until her mother Lani found her unconscious one day.
Avella was a healthy young woman just six months ago before contracting COVID-19, which triggered a rare version of acute disseminated encephalitis (ADEM)
ADEM is caused by viral infections, with the only Avella virus positive for coronavirus
“We are seeing cases all over the world of ADEM where the only virus they find is COVID.”
Avella, who her family said had no pre-existing conditions, has now had a blood transfusion and part of her skull removed to relieve brain pressure and swelling, according to her GoFundMe.
Health professionals began to make the connection between the coronavirus and ADEM in June.
Most children recover in four to six months, but Avella is said to have a particularly rare case called AHEM (acute hemorrhagic encephalomyelitis.
“We’re seeing an extreme that’s very, very rare, but it’s definitely something we would like to avoid,” Dr. Pitt told NBC News.
Avella was intubated and a piece of her skull removed along with a blood transfusion to treat her ADEM
Avella, left, pictured with her mother Lani Bauer, right
Avella has been diagnosed with a rare case of ADEM, or inflammation of the brain, when the body’s immune system attacks itself, causing swelling in the spinal cord and brain.
Her mother hopes Avella’s story will inspire other parents to get their children vaccinated and wear masks. Meanwhile, more than $ 25,000 was raised on the family’s GoFundMe on Friday.
“If getting the vaccine and wearing your mask is one more step in preventing this (from happening) to another child, that’s what I want to stress,” she told NBC News.
“I want to insist on making sure you are wearing your mask.”
The average age of children who contract ADEM from viral infections is between three and seven years, with 35% of infected children asymptomatic, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Typical symptoms of ADEM are fever, malaise, vomiting and / or headache.
Avella’s mother, Lani, says the family has incurred medical bills totaling over $ 1.2 million and more.
The average age of children who contract ADEM from viral infections is between three and seven years, with 35% of infected children asymptomatic.
“If getting the vaccine and wearing your mask is one more step in preventing this (from happening) to another child, that’s what I want to stress,” Avella’s mother Lani told NBC. News.
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