WASHINGTON – Health officials are closely watching the spread of a respiratory illness that has infected more than 1,000 children in 10 states.
The virus has been linked to illnesses in Missouri, Kansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Iowa, Colorado, Ohio, Oklahoma, North Carolina and Georgia. While the virus has not been officially identified, officials suspect it is a respiratory virus called human enterovirus 68, according to ABC News.
Enteroviruses are quite contagious and spread like other respiratory illnesses, through coughing, sneezing and other droplets, says Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
Outbreaks like the one moving through the Midwest pop up from time but outbreaks are difficult to predict and experts don’t know how quickly the disease will spread or how far it will travel, he tells WTOP.
But it can cause significant illness and children with asthma are particularly susceptible because it can trigger asthmatic attacks, Fauci says.
“If you have a child who generally handles a cold well and then starts to wheeze to the point of having difficulty breathing, getting air in and out, or breathing very rapidly, you don’t know want to play around with that. You want to get that child to the appropriate care facility,” Fauci says.
Even though the virus hasn’t been reported in the Mid-Atlantic, parents should keep an eye out for the symptoms so they can respond quickly and get their children the appropriate care, Fauci says.
“Viruses don’t tend to respect borders,” ABC News Chief Health and Medical Editor Dr. Richard Besser said to ABC News. “It is only 10 states now, but it’s going to be across the country. So if your state doesn’t have it now, watch for it, it’s coming.”
The states have requested support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Enteroviruses, which bring on symptoms like a very intense cold, are common, but this string is atypical because of the number of hospitalizations.
Doctors have seen more than 30 children a day with symptoms of the virus in Kansas City, Missouri, according to CNN. In Denver, Colorado, doctors saw more than 900 pediatric patients with the symptoms between Aug. 18 and Sept. 4, ABC News reports.
While the back-to-school season is a common time for kids to spread illnesses, doctors say they are puzzled by this particular virus.
“This is a very common time for outbreaks. Kids come back to school, they like to share things, they bring them home to their little brothers and sisters, and enteroviruses tend to occur in the summer,” Besser said to ABC. “But this one, this particular Enterovirus 68, is very rare and they have no idea why it showed up this year.”
The CDC has recommendations to make sure kids stay healthy:
- Practice basic sanitary practices;
- Wash hands;
- Avoid those who are sick;
- Cover nose and mouth when sneezing or coughing.
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