Enterovirus Concerns For Partially Paralyzed N.H. Boy

BOSTON (CBS) -- Just weeks ago, 13-year-old Dan Dugan of Seabrook, New Hampshire was riding his bike to middle school, until flu-like symptoms kept him home from school off and on. Then the eighth grader fell on the stairs.

"He didn't trip, he fell, his legs gave out," said his father Patrick Dugan.  "We were concerned but Dan didn't complain of any pain, he didn't know why he fell."

They took him to the emergency room when his stepmother Kate Knowles says one morning Dan couldn't get out of bed.

"I said alright I'll help you, but he said 'I can't move my legs, I can't get out of bed'," Knowles said.

He was rushed to Tufts Medical Center where his doctor Elisabeth Schainker says the paralysis could be a rare neurological side effect to the enterovirus D68.

The reaction is not well understood and the prognosis for the teen is difficult to assess.

"We want to see him keep making progress, but I don't know if that's going to continue and what the outcome will be," Dr. Schainker said.

Doctors don't know why there are more outbreaks than ever of the virus this year.  Dan is not alone as other children have experienced paralysis, though it usually appears as a fast moving cold.

"Dan got it in one of the worst possible ways," Knowles said.

Doctors at Tufts say they are consulting with experts around the country to come up with the best of course of treatment, and Dan will soon begin physical therapy.

"I think it's a challenging situation because it's a very rare side effect of the virus," Dr. Schainker said. "It's happening right now and there's not a lot of information on what to expect."

Dan's parents say it's a day-by-day hope for recovery.

"His spirits are good, he still has a sense of humor and has a great smile," Patrick Dugan said.

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