During the outbreak of the Covid-19 virus, public health officials scrambled to lock down countries by shuttering businesses and schools in an attempt to contain the spread of the virus.

Brain abscess caused by parasitic protozoan Toxoplasma gondii, 3D illustration

Some people speculated that such lockdowns could cause an ‘immunity debt,’ which would result in other infections being spread at a higher rate due to weakened immune systems.  The idea was mostly dismissed by mainstream scientists until this week when a pediatric neurosurgeon noted a significant spike in a “rare and serious” brain infection in children.

In the state of Nevada alone, the rate of infection for brain abscesses in children nearly tripled over the course of a year, from four or five cases to 18.

Initial symptoms include a headache and fever, but they can develop into something far more serious, causing seizures, vision loss, loss of muscle function, and changes in mental status.

Since the Covid-19 lockdowns, other infections, particularly respiratory infections, have seen an increase in children.  In the fall and winter of 2022, there was an ‘explosion’ of the Respiratory Syncytial Virus or RSV.

Multiple pediatric neurosurgeons who are familiar with the uptick in cases say that the sudden increase is highly unusual and have expressed concerns to the CDC, prompting an investigation in to the matter.

The CDC presented their investigation results on Thursday and said that they are still not sure why there has been a sudden increase in the number of abscesses in predominantly male children.

The Daily Mail Reports– Health officials are sounding the alarm over a spike in rare and serious brain abscesses in children in and around Las Vegas, Nevada.

 

Experts at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are investigating the spate of cases, while doctors across America say they are also seeing a rise in cases.

The number of brain abscesses in minors tripled in Nevada last year, shooting up from an average of four or five a year to 18.

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 of 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 in Nevada.

 

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