From People.com
August 28, 2019
A 14-year-old girl is critically ill after contracting a rare mosquito-borne disease.
Savannah DeHart, from Kalamazoo, Michigan, was diagnosed with Eastern Equine Encephalitis, or EEE, a virus spread by mosquitos that causes brain infections. Since her diagnosis on Aug. 16, she has lost her ability to communicate and is on a ventilator in the hospital.
Her mother, Kerri Dooley, said that DeHart’s symptoms started as a headache.
“Friday [the 16th], it got to the point where she didn’t want to move,” Dooley told NBC 8.
Speaking ten days after DeHart’s diagnosis, Dooley said that her daughter’s brain functions are limited.
“She just kind of lays there for now,” Dooley said. “Her brain is trying to heal itself, and she can’t do anything until that happens. It’s been, probably the worst time of my life. I watched my daughter almost ‘check out’ … it’s the word we’ve been using right now.”