Video: Boy battles rare measles complication

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PORT ORCHARD, Wash. - A Port Orchard boy is battling for his life because of a rare complication related to measles.

The condition all but vanished in the United States thanks to vaccines, but it has the potential to come back.        

Little Jaxon had already been through a bout of measles when his parents adopted him in the Philippines. The disease is widespread in many countries, but very rare here.

The Abalahim family forgot about measles too as their little boy grew and thrived.

"He was your normal typical 5-year-old, lots of smiles, energetic," said Oscar Abalahin, his father.

But Jaxon had what his father calls a ticking time bomb inside. Subtle symptoms appeared one day.

"We thought maybe he was just tired," Oscar Abalahin said. "But it got to a point a day later it was like just continuously staring and not paying attention."

At first they were told Jaxon had epilepsy. Then pediatric neurologist Dr. Heidi Blume, of Seattle Children's Hospital, diagnosed a rare disorder.

"It's a condition called SSPE, or Subacute Sclerosing Panencephalitis, which is a condition that comes up after a measles infection," she said.

Doctors have more questions than answers.

The last time they saw children in the U.S. with the condition was after a drop in measles immunizations between 1989 and 1991.

"Right now there really are no proven therapies for this disease," Blume said.

No therapies because there are few young patients here.

"Somewhere between four and 20 people out of every 100,000 people who get the measles actually get SSPE," she said.

The victims are most often children who had measles before age 2.

"People are perfectly fine for years, anywhere between a few months and 20 years after the initial measles infection," Blume said.

SSPE is almost always fatal, attacking a child's brain. Jaxon's parents hope for a cure.

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Little Jaxon had already been through a bout of measles when his parents adopted him in the Philippines.

"He is certainly much, much different than the boy he was two and a half years ago," Blume said.

Research shows it's the wild measles virus not a vaccine that causes SSPE. Immunization is the best protection.

"When countries increase their vaccination rates, their rates of SSPE go down," Blume said.

Jaxon's parents are hoping to bridge the gap in what's known about SSPE. They hold fundraisers and have contacted top researchers to encourage more study towards a cure.

if you'd like to learn more about Jaxon's story his family has a Web site. Visit www.jaxonscure.org .