BENCH
BENCH DISCUSSING EVERYTHING THAT HAS HAPPENED TONIGHT.
BACK TO YOU GUYS.
>>> THE NEXT STORY HAS A LOT OF
PEOPLE TALKING HERE.
>>> IT CERTAINLY DOES.
>> WE HAVE SEEN MORE CHILDREN
CONTRACTING AN EXTREMELY RARE
ILLNESS WITH SYMPTOMS SIMILAR
TO POLIO INCLUDING TWO CHILDREN
IN THE HOUSTON AREA.
IT IS CALLED ACCUSED GERMAN
ACUTE FLACCID MILEY -ITIS.
-- MY SLIGHTEST.
THE KIDS IN HARRIS AND
GALVESTON COUNTY ARE TWO OF
EIGHT CHILDREN ACROSS TEXAS
ALONE AND IT IS SO RARE THAT
ONLY ONE IN 1 MILLION PEOPLE
WILL GET IT.
TONIGHT WE MET A CHILD WHO IS
FIGHTING THE DISEASE.
LAUREN?
LAUREN?
LAUREN? >> WHAT A FIGHTER HE HAS.
AND HIS FAMILY AT THAT.
HIS NAME IS BRADEN SCOTT AND AS
WE CONTINUE TO LEARN MORE AND
MORE ABOUT THIS VERY SCARY
DISEASE, HE IS LIVING IT EVERY
DAY.
DAY.
DAY. >>
DAY. >> SEVERAL HOURS A DAY, EVERY
DAY.
DAY.
DAY. >>
DAY. >> WE TRY TO KEEP THEM AS
ACTIVE AS WE CAN.
>> SEVEN-YEAR-OLD BRADEN SCOTT
IS GIVING HIS ALL TO GAIN BACK
HIS STRENGTH.
HIS STRENGTH. >> DOING AS MUCH AS HE CAN TO
HAVE THE BEST CHANCE OF
RECOVERY.
RECOVERY.
RECOVERY. >> BUT IT WAS NOT ALWAYS THIS
WAY.
WAY.
WAY. THE
WAY. THE STORY STARTS ON JULY 4
2016.
2016.
2016. >>
2016. >> INITIALLY THOUGHT IT WAS
STREP OR MONO.
AND THEN IT WENT FROM A COLD
AND HIM NOT BEING ABLE TO
SWALLOW TO FULL ON PARALYSIS.
>> I FIVE YEARS OLD BRADEN WAS
DIAGNOSED WITH ACUTE FLACCID
TRAUMA FLACCID MY LYSIS.
AND IT LEFT HIM ON A VENTILATOR
AND FEEDING TUBE.
>> IT PARALYZED ME.
AND I HAD TO MAKE HAND SIGNALS
SO THAT THEY COULD KNOW WHAT I
WANTED.
WANTED.
WANTED. >> THEY DON'T KNOW HOW ANYONE
CAN GET THIS DISEASE.
>> BECAUSE THEY CANNOT SAY WITH
ANY CERTAINTY WHAT CAUSES IT OR
WHY THE CHILDREN ARE GETTING IT.
IT IS SCARY BECAUSE IT IS NOT
SOMETHING THAT IS EASILY
PREVENTABLE.
PREVENTABLE. >> THE CDC SAYS ONLY ONE IN 1
MILLION WILL BE DIAGNOSED, THEY
ARE SEEM TO BE CLUSTERS POPPING
UP.
UP.
UP. >>
UP. >> IT
UP. >> IT IS BECOMING MORE
PREVALENT.
PREVALENT. SO IT IS SCARY THAT THERE IS
NOT A WAY TO DEFEND YOURSELF
AGAINST THIS.
AGAINST THIS. ESPECIALLY WHEN IT IS SOMETHING
THAT IS MORE AND MORE COMMON.
>> HOSPITALS ARE NOT REQUIRED
TO REPORT CASES TO THE CDC.
>> IT IS A HUGE ISSUE THAT THEY
DO NOT HAVE AN ACCURATE
REPRESENTATION OF HOW MANY
CASES THERE ARE.
>> WITH THIS DISEASE, THE ROAD
TO RECOVERY IS TOUGH ON ALL
LEVELS.
LEVELS.
LEVELS. >> IT IS HARD KNOWING THAT THE
THINGS THAT HE IS MISSING OUT
ON THAT NORMAL KIDS GET TO DO
HERE.
HERE.
HERE. >>
HERE. >> BRADEN AND HIS FAMILY ARE
OPTIMISTS.
OPTIMISTS. >> IF OUR REGULAR KID I WOULD
BE ON THE NEWS.
>> AND THEY'RE TELLING THEIR
STORIES TO SPREAD AWARENESS OF
THIS DEVASTATING DISEASE.
>> IT IS UNDERREPRESENTED HERE.
AND IT IS NOT GIVING US THE
CHANCE TO GET THE RESEARCH AND
THE HOPE FOR A VACCINE OR
SOMETHING LIKE THAT THAT WE
MIGHT BE ABLE TO HAVE IF IF IT
WAS REPRESENTATIVE -- IF IT WAS
ACTUALLY REPRESENTATIVE AS THE
KIND OF PROBLEM THAT IT IS.
>> YOU CAN CERTAINLY UNDERSTAND
WHY SHE WANTS RESOLUTION.
THERE STILL SOME THE QUESTIONS.
ONE THAT I WANTED TO KNOW AS A
MOM WAS IF HE HAD HAD ALL OF
HIS VACCINES.
HIS VACCINES. LIKE TO POLIO VACCINE SINCE AFM
TENDS TO MIMIC IT AND HIS
MOTHER TOLD ME THAT HE WAS UP-
TO-DATE BEFORE HIS DIAGNOSIS.
BUT THAT IT DOESN'T SEEM TO
MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE BECAUSE QUIT
-- CHILDREN WITH OR WITHOUT
VACCINES HAVE BOTH BEEN
DIAGNOSED WITH THE DISEASE.
>> OTHER QUESTIONS WITH
FACEBOOK COMING IN ROSEANN IS
ASKING IS IT SIMILAR TO THE
KEENE BARRE SYNDROME.
AND WE HAVE THAT ANSWER FOR
YOU.
YOU.
YOU. THEY
YOU. THEY ARE SYMPTOM BUT IT LAST
FOR ONLY ABOUT A WEEK AND IS
MORE COMMON IN PEOPLE OVER THE
AGE OF 50.
>> WE ALSO HAVE A QUESTION AND
FROM JESSICA, AND SHE WANTS TO
KNOW WHAT MAKES IT POLIO LIKE
BUT NOT POLIO?
DOCTORS DON'T KNOW WHAT CAUSES
AFM.
AFM.
AFM. BUT
AFM. BUT IT IS BEING CALLED POLIO
LIKE BECAUSE IT CAN LEAD TO
PARALYSIS.
PARALYSIS. THE CDC HAS NOT FOUND