MYSTERIOUS LUNG VIRUS ATTACKING AMERICAN CHILDREN ACROSS THE MIDWEST - Hundreds of sick kids with EV-D68 in hospitals. - With UPDATES

 

ITEM REGULARLY UPDATED -

Illness caused by new enterovirus strain spreads among children across the country. 
 

Virus comes on as a cold before developing into respiratory distress 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention testing whether it is an Enterovirus D68 or EV-D68, a respiratory infection with varying symptons and levels of intensity

There is no proper treatment or vaccine for EV-D68

Doctors have been treating severe cases with ventilation

Outbreaks also reported in Colorado, Illinois and Ohio

PLEASE READ THE LATEST UPDATES ON THIS ILLNESS BY CLICKING HERE 

NOTE - The following is the September 7, 2014 report.  For the latest news please click on "Here" on the preceding paragraph.

Daily Mail - Hospitals across the Midwest are being inundated with children infected by a bizarre virus, which first comes on as a common cold before developing into severe respiratory distress.

In Kansas City, Missouri, about 450 children were recently treated at one facility - Children's Mercy Hospital - with at least 60 of them admitted to intensive care.  Possible outbreaks have also been reported in Colorado, Illinois and Ohio.

 

Children's Mercy Hospital's division director for Infectious Diseases, Dr. Mary Anne Jackson, said the problem was 'big' and 'unprecedented'

 

'I've practiced for 30 years in pediatrics, and I've never seen anything quite like this,' Dr. Jackson told CNN.

 

'We've had to mobilize other providers, doctors, nurses. It's big. I would call it unprecedented.

'It's worse in terms of scope of critically ill children who require intensive care.'

 

Dr. Jackson said the problem started around when school went back on August 17 and peaked between August 21 and 30.

 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that some 19 of the cases in Kansas City tested positive for Enterovirus D68 or EV-D68,  D68 or EV-D68, typically causes only mild asthma-like symptoms but can be more severe in some cases.

 

However there is no specific treatment for an EV-D68 infection, which is almost exclusively associated with respiratory disease.  Ventilation appears to be the best away to assist patients with the infection.

 

There is also no available vaccine. 

 

There is currently no data for any deaths related to an EV-D68 infection in the United States. 

 

The full scope is yet to be known, but it would appear it's in the Midwest,' Dr. Jackson said.  'In our community (in Kansas City), meticulous hand-washing is not happening.   It's just the nature of kids. Worst I've seen.'

 

Symptoms include fever, body and muscles aches, sneezing, coughing and rash.

 

Rocky Mountain Hospital in Denver reported five children in their intensive care unit and 20 more in the pediatric unit.

 

Will Cornejo, 13, was among the children in intensive care after he came down with a cold last weekend.  His mother, Jennifer Cornejo, said when her son took a turn for the worse on Tuesday, struggling to breath, she feared the worst.  'It was like nothing we've ever seen,' Jennifer Cornejo told CNN affiliate KUSA.  'He was unresponsive. He couldn't speak to me. He was turning white and his lips turned blue.'  Will needed a breathing apparatus for 24 hours.

 

Nationwide Children's Hospsital in East Columbus, Ohio, reported a 20 percent increase in patients with respiratory illness last weekend. 

 

They are testing to see whether the cases are EV-D68.

 

Blessing Hospital in Quincy, Illinois, saw more than 70 children with respiratory issues last weekend, according to CNN affiliate WGEM.

 

Source - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2746531/Bizarre-lung-virus-hospitalizing-hundreds-kids-Midwest-30-children-admitted-day-Kansas-City-alone.html

Photo above - Patient Will Cornejo - CNN

UPDATES

What parents should know

 

What are the symptoms?

The virus usually starts like the common cold; symptoms include sneezing, a runny nose and a cough. This is all that happens for most people who catch an enterovirus.

But some patients will get a severe cough, have difficulty breathing and/or develop a rash. EV-D68 is sometimes also accompanied by a fever or wheezing.

 

So when should you begin worrying?

Unfortunately in the beginning it's difficult -- if not impossible -- to tell the difference between a regular cold and this type of virus. But there are symptoms you should be on the lookout for if your child becomes sick.

Go to the doctor if he or she develops a fever or a rash, or if your child has difficulty breathing. Children with asthma or a history of breathing problems are particularly susceptible for severe symptoms.

 

How is EV-D68 treated?

There is no specific treatment for enteroviruses, according to the CDC. Plenty of rest, fluids and over-the-counter medications will help ease symptoms in standard cases.

Patients who are hospitalized will likely receive assistance breathing and what's called "supportive therapy" to help their immune systems fight off the infection.

 

Where is the virus spreading?

As of Monday, 10 states had reached out to the CDC for help in identifying clusters of enterovirus illnesses: Colorado, North Carolina, Georgia, Ohio, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Kentucky.  But EV-D68 is often hard to distinguish from its relatives so the virus could be in other states as well.

 

Why are kids being hospitalized?

Anyone can get infected with enteroviruses, according to the CDC, but infants, children and teens are more likely to become sick because they have not yet built up immunity from previous exposures to the viruses.

 

How do I protect my children?

The respiratory illness spreads through close contact, just like the common cold. You can also be infected by touching objects or surfaces that have the virus on them, then touching your face.
 

There's not a great deal you can do, health officials say, beyond taking common-sense steps to reduce the risk.
 

Wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds -- particularly after going to the bathroom and changing diapers.
 

Clean and disinfect surfaces that are regularly touched by different people, such as toys and doorknobs.
 

Avoid shaking hands, kissing, hugging and sharing cups or eating utensils with people who are sick. And stay home if you feel unwell.

 

Source - http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/08/health/enterovirus-d68-symptoms/

CDC PAGE - http://www.cdc.gov/non-polio-enterovirus/about/EV-D68.html

Read all articles on EV-D68 on this blog
http://ottersandsciencenews.blogspot.ca/search/label/Health%20-%20Outbreaks%20-%20EV-D68%20Enterovirus

 

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