I guess he meant "they reported it first, instead of any other major US news outlet"
This is exactly what I meant. In hindsight, I hadn't checked other news outlets (it's clearly evident that they had already reported on the topic), and I suppose it's not all that strange because there may well be BBC representatives in California, or at least in touch with people in California. It was a very poorly thought out comment, and I apologize.
> PHILADELPHIA – UPDATE: The research study authors related that there are now between 20 and 25 reported, suspected cases of this polio-like syndrome. Researchers have identified a polio-like syndrome in a cluster of children from California over a one-year period, according to a case report released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 66th Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, April 26 to May 3, 2014.
There's no reason to have a physical presence in California. For example, the writer might be on a mailing list for announcements from the AAN, and perhaps even access to the embargoed information. Make a few phone calls (including to the researchers in California) and the article is done.
It's being distributed through the AP. There are 18 newspapers listed on Google News which reported on this in the last 24 hours: https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&gl=us&tbm=nws&authuser=0... .
For what it's worth, West Nile virus can cause polio-like paralysis( http://www.dallasnews.com/news/metro/20140211-west-nile-trig... and http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/elements/2014/02/the-l... ).