Boy battles brain infection doctors say was caused by flu

CARROLLTON, Texas — Witten Ramirez is fighting for his life after doctors said he contracted a brain infection caused by the flu.

Witten's mother, Desiree, said that the whole family had the flu last week, but the 8-year-old had it worse than the others, KXAS reported.

She said he was sleeping too much and stumbled when he walked.

>> Read more trending news

To be safe, Desiree took him to the emergency room, thinking that he might be having a reaction to medication.

TRENDING NOW:

• Roethlisberger named in porn star's interview about Donald Trump
• Tom Petty died of an accidental overdose, family says
• Photos offer glimpse into former Texas home of parents accused of abusing 13 children
• VIDEO: Swimmers saved by drone

Instead, testing found that somehow the flu had caused an infection in his brain, which was attacking the part of the brain that controls movement.

Witten now cannot walk, sit, stand or talk, Desiree told KXAS.

Neurologists said the infection is called cerebellitis, an inflammatory process that can be a complication from the flu in rare cases with no risk factors.

"You can have otherwise seemingly healthy individuals whose bodies handle flu in such a way to lead to a neurologic complication, which is why we spend so much time focusing on prevention," Dr. Benjamin Greenberg told KXAS.

Prevention, Greenberg said, is the flu vaccine.

Witten’s mother said her son didn’t get a flu shot this year as he had in previous years.

Children can recover from cerebellitis, but doing so will involve rehabilitation, which is already planned for Witten, KXAS reported.

Cox Media Group