Mystery illness making children ill…

By Caribbean Medical News Staff
As if the Ebola virus, MERS and chikungunya were not enough the CDC (Centre for Disease Control) says that hundreds of children are ill across the United States with the majority presenting with flu like symptoms in what has been deemed an “unprecedented outbreak of enterovirus D68”.
According to the CDC “Enteroviruses are extremely common and most show no symptoms or resemble a mild cold. The D68 strain, though known since 1962 and related to the rhinovirus that causes the common cold, is relatively rare – or at least or very rarely reported”, the CDC spokesperson said.
At least 10 states in the US are reporting the virus which presents with wheezing, coughing and trouble breathing as well as flu-like symptoms and the CDC is continuing its investigations. The CDC has also confirmed 11 cases of the virus in Chicago.
The states that have contacted the CDC are Missouri, Illinois, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Iowa, Kentucky, Ohio, North Carolina and Georgia.
Patients range in ages from 20 months to 15 years, eight of whom have a history of asthma which creates further complications and the Denver Post of Colorado is saying that 900 children have been treated in the Boulder state. Thus far, 86 children have been admitted to hospital. The CDC, however, is yet to confirm D68 in Colorado.
Reports indicate that some children have also been admitted to the Intensive Care Units in Colorado.
According to Anne Schuchat, director of the CDC’s center for immunization and respiratory diseases, “the situation is evolving quickly.” She added that new outbreaks are possible. Meanwhile, Mark Pallansch, the CDC’s viral disease division director, said “It’s not highly unusual but we’re trying to understand what happened this year in terms of these noticeable and much larger clusters of severe respiratory disease.”
He also told CNN that the high number of reported cases could be “just the tip of the iceberg”.
The virus exacerbates asthma and can be found in adults.

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