Four years old affected by seizures condition caused by mosquitoes

Christopher ''C.J." Burke wears a diaper. His mother says he can't walk, talk, move his hands, or sit up without help.

Two months ago, the 4-year-old from Goffstown, N.H., was running around his backyard with his 11 brothers and sisters, playing soccer and riding his bicycle, his parents said. Then one night in mid-August the seizures began, followed by vomiting, high fevers, and a week in a coma.

Now, about a month after C.J. was diagnosed with the mosquito-borne illness Eastern equine encephalitis, physicians say he will never be the same and could have severe disabilities for the rest of his life.

''He has to relearn his whole four years of life again," his mother -- Linda Burke, 39, who is seven months pregnant with her 13th child -- said yesterday in a telephone interview. ''We know he is here with us today. He is going to live, but it's going to be a lifelong struggle for C.J."

C.J. is now at a rehabilitation center in Boston, where he is slowly learning to speak again. He is fed through a tube. For the most part, he recognizes his parents, but he occasionally forgets the name of one of his siblings, said his mother.

Described by his parents as a thin, quiet boy who loves SpongeBob SquarePants and playing with his siblings, C.J. will probably have to use a wheelchair once he is released from the center, they said.
C.J. was admitted to Elliot Hospital in Manchester, N.H., when he had his first seizure on Aug. 16. After doctors were unable to diagnosis him, he was airlifted two days later to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H., Linda Burke said. The next day, C.J. was clenching his teeth in severe pain. He didn't recognize his parents, and by nightfall he had slipped into a coma, his mother said.

''Every range of emotion that you can imagine went through my mind," said his father, Christopher Burke, 42, a customer service representative for Car Componet Technologies in Bedford, N.H. ''We kept thinking, if he survives, what kind of little boy are we going to have."

The Burkes finally got some answers on Aug. 26, but his diagnosis of EEE brought little relief. There is no cure or medical treatment for the virus, which kills 30 percent of its victims and causes permanent disability in many who survive.

C.J. is one of seven New Hampshire residents diagnosed with EEE this year. Two have died, a 20-year-old woman and an 80-year-old man, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services.

Massachusetts has had four victims this year, all from Plymouth County. Two of those infected, an 83-year-old man and a 5-year-old girl, have died, said Donna Rheaume, spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

''We certainly are recommending people take precautions against mosquitoes," Rheaume said.
''Don't go outside in peak mosquito hours, which is dusk and dawn. Remove standing water in your yard, which are breeding grounds for mosquitos. . . . Wear protective clothing, such as socks, pants, and shirts with long sleeves."

The first symptoms of EEE usually appear three to 10 days after infection and include high fever, stiff neck, headache, and lack of energy, according to the department. Swelling of the brain is the most dangerous symptom.

The family has set up a C.J. Fund at Service Credit Union to help with medical costs their insurance doesn't cover, Linda Burke said.

C.J. will most likely have to undergo physical therapy as an outpatient for the rest of his life, the Burkes said.

They said they pray he will be home for the holidays, just in time to greet his new baby sister.
''You always think it will never happen to your child," Linda Burke said. ''It's a miracle that he pulled through this. It's amazing."