A recent outbreak of respiratory illness caused by enterovirus D68 is
proving stubborn as it continues to send large numbers of Denver-area children
to hospital emergency rooms.
by John
Tyburski
Copyright © Daily
Digest News, KPR Media, LLC. All rights reserved.
The recent
outbreak of enterovirus D68 infections has public health officials and
physicians scrambling to manage the spread and treatment of the rare but
serious respiratory illness caused by the virus. Children in the Denver,
Colorado, area are flocking to hospital emergency rooms with the illness.
Since
August 18, Children’s Hospital Colorado has treated over 1,750 children for
severe respiratory illness in its urgent-care locations throughout the Denver
area as well as in its emergency room.
Over 150
children have been admitted to the hospital for follow-up care. Just in the
past week, over 800 new cases have been reported. Hospital spokeswoman
Elizabeth Whitehead said that the outbreak is not showing any signs of letting
up. Between Tuesday morning and Wednesday afternoon, nearly 200 new cases were
reported.
According
to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the virus
has infected many children in at least 11 states. The culprit is enterovirus
D68, one of many non-polio enteroviruses that causes fewer and less-frequent
infections than a number of other enteroviruses. Enterovirus D68 was first
discovered in California back in 1962 and has caused few outbreaks in the years
since it was identified.
Enterovirus
D68 causes mild to severe respiratory illness; the full spectrum of symptoms is
not well characterized. Although the way in which enterovirus D68 is transmitted
is not known, experts speculate that the virus likely spreads from person to
person when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or contaminates surfaces.
There is
no specific treatment for enterovirus D68. Severe cases require intensive
supportive therapy.
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