Mysterious Outbreak of Brain Infections Hitting Children in Nevada, Other States

Mysterious Outbreak of Brain Infections Hitting Children in Nevada, Other States

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is now investigating a mysterious spike of brain abscesses occurring in children.

Researchers at the Southern Nevada Health District said there were 18 cases last year of pediatric brain abscesses — pockets in the brain that fill with pus which can be deadly if untreated — compared to an average of five cases per year reported between 2015 and 2021.

The abscesses are rare and generally form to stop a bacterial or fungal infection from spreading.

The data was released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s annual Epidemic Intelligence Service Conference.

The CDC reported cases began to increase nationally in the summer of 2021 and peaked in March 2022.

One of the suspected reasons for the uptick is the children have a weakened immune response after prolonged lockdowns that were implemented in the wake of the covid pandemic.

Dr Taryn Bragg, a pediatric neurosurgeon and associate professor at the University of Utah who treats the cases, told CNN she had ‘never seen anything like it’ in her 20 years’ experience.

Physicians 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.

Dr Bragg was able to spot the pattern and notify local public health officials because she is the only pediatric neurosurgeon for Nevada.

After March 2022, she said there was a ‘huge increase’ in brain abscesses, which is ‘unusual’, particularly as ‘the similarities in terms of the presentation of cases was striking’.

In nearly every case, the child would develop a typical childhood ailment like an earache or sinus infection, with a headache and fever.
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Dr Bragg said that within days, it would become obvious something more severe was at play.

Other areas of the country are also seeing a similar rise in pediatric brain abscess cases.

Dr. Shaun Rodgers, a pediatric neurosurgeon at Cohen Children’s Medical Center — part of Northwell Health in New York — 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 noted, though, that because brain abscesses are rare, this year’s total is still in the single digits at his hospital.

This possibility was predicted in March 2021, by microbiologist Sally F. Bloomfield, who discussed immunological concept known as the “hygiene hypothesis” in a Business Insider piece.

In short, most COVID-19 policies have maximized the potential for children to develop dysregulated immune systems. As a viral immunologist, I was not overly concerned about this in the early stages of the pandemic when “temporary” measures were put in place to “flatten the curve.”

However, there is cause for concern one year later, after many places in Canada and other countries have spent months in lockdowns or with very limited social contact and activities to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The youngest among us have had their immunological development compromised for one year and growing. The more immature the immune system is, the more prone it will be to becoming dysregulated during the pandemic.

The bills for the insanity of the covid lockdowns are now coming due. Unfortunately, it appears our children may be paying the most dreadful price of all.

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