Family's 'worst nightmare' as baby contracts Japanese encephalitis

When Bec Kinross and her family returned home from an Australia Day camping weekend, four-month-old Sam was as happy as ever - but two weeks later it was a different story.

The baby boy had a high temperature, was clingy and fell asleep on his mother, before waking and starting to convulse.

"He was really bright-eyed and I thought he was kind of just staring at the fan but then his eyes started to deviate to the left and he started convulsing," Ms Kinross told 9Honey Parenting. "I had never witnessed that and I had no idea what was happening. I grabbed him and jumped in the shower and told my partner to call the ambulance right now."
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A mosquito bite from the family's weekend away caused the Melbourne baby to contract Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), leaving him in emergency care at the Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne.

Sam underwent a barrage of tests and treatment - including a lumbar puncture, IVs, an MRI, PIIC lines, courses of antibiotics, anti-viral and anti-seizure medication - as doctors tried to figure out what he was suffering from.

Doctors identified that he had a viral infection, but it wasn't until two weeks later - when a local health warning for JEV was released - that it was confirmed that's what Sam had contracted.

"The doctor sent away his blood and a urine sample just to test for it so they could rule it out, but days later he come back positive," Ms Kinross told 9Honey Parenting.

Since then the family has been living a nightmare Ms Kinross says she "wouldn't wish upon her worst enemy."

"After two weeks in hospital we had two weeks of home care, and now continue with the homecare ourselves. We're in touch with the doctors regularly and with the dieticians from the hospital because he's lost a lot of weight and his development has suffered," the mum explained. "He's lost his head control, isn't not rolling anymore. It's had a roll on effect."

The family is constantly monitoring Sam, terrified of the long term impact the virus may have on him.

"We are currently giving him supplements to speed up the weight gain. He'll have another MRI follow up. He will have just constant follow ups," she said.

"We feel extremely lucky at the moment but further down the track we have absolutely no idea what could happen. He'll have neurological tests to make sure everything is OK. Monitoring of his development, his ability to move and everything. He'll be on anti-seizure medication twice a day for at least probably the next six months.

"It's been by far the hardest thing I've ever had to endure and my anxiety levels are at an all time high all day every day worrying."

The Melbourne mum is urging all parents to take the JEV health warning seriously and ensure they are regularly applying repellent on their kids.

She says another important thing families need to remember to do is to organise ambulance cover for their kids, something they didn't have for Sam.

"When you first have a baby, it's not something that you have in your mind to do. And after the trauma we went through, a week later we received an ambulance bill for $2000," she told 9Honey Parenting. The parents have launched a GoFundMe page seeking help with the payment.

The best way to stop getting Japanese encephalitis virus is to do your best to avoid getting bitten by mosquitoes. While mosquito bites can happen any time of day, Queensland Health warns dawn and dusk are the times of highest risk.

"Around your home, it's important to inspect for common mosquito breeding sites, clean up debris and make sure to empty, wipe out and store any outdoor containers in a dry place," Queensland Health said in a statement.

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