Q. A 3-year-old girl is brought to the physician’s office by her mother for a high fever and productive cough for the past two days. She also has decreased appetite and vomiting after eating due to continuous cough. Her mother is worried that the child is falling sick often and is being prescribed antibiotics frequently. The birth history is uneventful. The developmental history is significant with delayed walking, unsteady gait, and slurred speech. Her temperature is 102°F (38.8°C), pulse is 110/min, blood pressure is 80/60 mmHg, and respirations are 16/min. On examination, the child has difficulty standing still without wobbling. When asked to walk, she walks on an unusually narrow base. She has florid bulbar conjunctival telangiectasia. Oral examination shows exudative and enlarged tonsils. Lung examination shows bilateral scattered rhonchi on auscultation. S1 and S2 are heard. Which of the following statements is true about the disease that this patient is suffering from?