Tuesday, September 9, 2014
Confirmed Cases Of Respiratory Virus Reported In Surrounding States
The country has been put on alert for a potentially-severe respiratory virus that has been reported in surrounding states however state health officials say no cases have yet been confirmed in Tennessee.
Enterovirus 68 (EV-D68) is nothing new, but officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Technology (CDC) said Monday that hundreds of children have had particularly severe reactions of late.
At least 900 cases of the virus were being treated through one Colorado hospital Monday, with nearly 90 of those patients requiring admittance and many requiring ventilators to assist their breathing. Similar conditions were reported in other states.
Cases of the virus have been reported in several states including Alabama, Kentucky, North Carolina, Missouri, and Georgia. Florence, Alabama officials said Monday that three confirmed cases were treated there in late August.
CDC officials say there are more than 100 varying types of enteroviruses that cause more than 10 million illnesses in Americans each year. The virus is typically seen in small clusters and officials are working to determine why this outbreak is so abnormally widespread and severe.
The virus infects the gastrointestinal tract, often spread when children get fecal matter on their hands and then touch their mouths, noses, or eyes. It can be spread by coughing and can live on surfaces.
Experts say that the virus may often be mistaken for the common cold since both illnesses share similar symptoms. While the virus poses a greater risk than the common cold, they say that it is relatively short-lived, with kids returning to school within a week. There are typically no long-term effects, and officials say that no deaths have been reported.
Outbreaks have been limited to children in most areas, primarily those of school age. To-date about two-thirds of those hospitalized also have asthma. At greatest risk are children with asthma, other breathing problems, or a compromised immune system.
CDC officials urge parents of children who experience wheezing or rapid breathing to have them checked by a physician.
There is no vaccine for EV-D68, but CDC officials say that, as with most infectious diseases, people can reduce their risk through frequent hand washing with warm water and soap.
Wiping down surfaces can also reduce risk. The CDC is recommending that everyone who can, get a flu shot in order to protect themselves from respiratory infections in general.
As in the case of the common cold, treatment normally involves making a person comfortable until the immune system can fight off the virus.
