Toddler in Yekaterinburg develops brain inflammation after chickenpox

A two-year-old boy in Yekaterinburg developed brain inflammation after chickenpox. In the hospital, the child was given a preliminary diagnosis — cerebellitis (inflammation of the cerebellum). Later tests confirmed chickenpox encephalitis. This is a rare but extremely dangerous complication of chickenpox, when the virus affects the brain. Such cases occur in 1 out of 2000 patients, the boy«s mother Irina says.

«The first rash appeared on January 1. From the third to the sixth, he had a high fever and a lot of rash. We called a doctor, she prescribed paracetamol and anti-itch medicine, and told us to come to the hospital on the 12th. But on January 8, we noticed that our child was walking poorly: he staggers like a drunk, he cannot stand still, he just falls. We called an ambulance — they hospitalized him and said the cerebellum was damaged,» the boy«s mother told E1.RU.

Irina recorded a short video about her son«s illness — and in a couple of days it gained over a million views. You can listen to her story just above.

Now the boy is receiving intensive treatment in the hospital: IV drips with antiviral drugs and antibiotics three times a day. According to his parents, his condition has improved, but the neurologist prescribed two years of observation and six more months of medication.

«Now the child is already feeling better, although for about three days he had severe disorientation. We were told that we got off lightly because we sought help immediately. If we had delayed another day, the consequences would have been worse, meningitis would have started,» the mother explains.

Doctors point out important symptoms for which, during chickenpox, one should urgently call an ambulance: seizures, loss of coordination, unbreakable fever, severe vomiting. Parents of children with neurological problems in their medical history should be especially vigilant — they have a higher risk of complications.

Previously, we told the story of a Ural woman, Olga Obolenskaya: her world collapsed from the terrible words of doctors: «Your child has cerebral palsy, epilepsy and strabismus.» Endless hospitals and the betrayal of a loved one could break anyone. But Olga turned out to be stronger.

And we also told about a large family that travels to Yekaterinburg by taxi every three months because their son and daughter need rehabilitation.