BOSTON (WHDH) - A 5-year-old Sudbury girl who was recently hospitalized in critical condition after she tested positive for the potentially fatal Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus has been moved out of the ICU and is continuing to improve.
Sophia Garabedian was rushed to Boston Children’s Hospital on Sept. 3 after experiencing severe flu symptoms, headaches, and an apparent seizure, family members said.
After high fever and brain swelling caused Sophia to become unresponsive, hospital staffers conducted tests that came back positive for the potentially fatal virus.
A family friend told 7NEWS that Sophia has begun physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy, and on Thursday morning was participating in pet therapy.
A GoFundMe launched in her name has raised more than $100,000 since it went live on Monday.
A 59-year-old Bay State woman died from EEE last month, and Rhode Island officials announced on Monday that a person died from the virus.
There are 36 communities now at critical risk, 42 at high risk, and 115 at moderate risk for the EEE virus in Massachusetts.
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