Enterovirus 68: What Experts Are Learning
quickly. (2 adults died in CO, in addition to the 4 mentioned in the article)
The rapid, nationwide spread of the enterovirus 68 respiratory infection is unlike any previous outbreak of the disease public health officials have seen.
As of this week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have confirmed nearly 500 cases of the infection, including four in patients who died, although it’s uncertain what role the virus played in their deaths. Experts say the true number of cases is likely much higher, since only a fraction of patients suspected of having the infection have been tested, and the infection is usually neither fatal nor severe.
Most of the patients seriously affected are children. Experts say that parents should be on the lookout for children with difficulty breathing, chest pain, wheezing or blue lips. Those are signs that the child requires immediate medical care. Children with asthma and other chronic lung conditions are particularly vulnerable.
To learn more, I spoke with Rafal Tokarz of the Center for Infection & Immunity at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University. Dr. Tokarz is an enterovirus expert who has studied previous outbreaks of the disease, including a cluster of cases that he and his colleagues identified in New York City in 2009. Here is an edited transcript of our conversation.
Q.
Until recently a lot of people had never heard of enterovirus 68. Is this outbreak — or the scope of it — unusual?
A.
I think the most surprising aspect of it is how severe it is, particularly the symptoms in kids. Because that hasn’t really been seen before. As far as the extent of it, in the past 10 years, there have been reports by our group as well as several around the world that the virus has been increasing in incidence. There have been clusters in Southeast Asia, in Europe, in Africa and in North America. It’s been increasing in the past decade.
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http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/10/02/enterovirus-68-what-you-need-to-know/?partner=rss&emc=rss
2 Colorado Adults Die From Complications Of Enterovirus
http://denver.cbslocal.com/2014/10/02/2-colorado-adults-die-from-respiratory-illness-similar-to-enterovirus-68/
= new reply since forum marked as read
