WASHINGTON — Kids in the D.C. region and elsewhere in the U.S. are coming down with serious respiratory illnesses.
Viruses, including one uncommon strain that health workers are watching closely, are to blame.
“They’re basically very bad cold viruses, and they affect the lungs of children,” says Dr. Erik Schobitz, medical director of the Pediatric Emergency Department at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital.
“We are seeing a large uptick in respiratory viruses in the emergency department right now,” he says, including cases severe enough to land kids in the ICU.
However, the viruses are common this time of year.
“The biggest thing is for people not to panic right now.”
In Virginia, three clusters of respiratory illnesses have been reported: Two in central Virginia and one in southwest Virginia, according to Dr. Laurie Forlano, an epidemiologist with the Virginia Department of Health.
She says each cluster consists of about eight to 12 cases, and there could be cases elsewhere.
“What’s concerning is that we’re seeing this more severe presentation of illness,” she says. “Several children ending up admitted to a hospital in a short period of time I think is cause for attention.”
Parents should watch for fever, cough, and trouble breathing, and they should be ready to take kids to a doctor or hospital if necessary. General rules for flu season also apply, including washing hands and staying home when sick.
So far, none of the illnesses in Maryland or Virginia have been confirmed as being enterovirus D68, the uncommon viral strain that has been identified in Missouri and Illinois. Health workers are testing for that strain in several other states where children have gotten sick.
Follow @WTOP on Twitter and on the WTOP Facebook page.
