Sdiver
09-07-2014, 20:29
We've seen a spike in EV-D68 this past week here in Denver, and reports are now that EV-D68 is moving into the Mid-West.
The initial symptoms look like a common cold, but then hit the kids hard.
Yes, kids are nothing more than walking bug factories, but apparently EV-D68 is turning into a very dangerous virus for then.
If you have kids, or even grandkids who are of school age, stay vigilant and tell them to WASH THEIR HANDS more often.
CDC official: Virus hitting Midwest could be 'tip of iceberg'
A respiratory virus is sending hundreds of children to hospitals in Missouri and possibly throughout the Midwest and beyond, officials say.
The unusually high number of hospitalizations reported now could be "just the tip of the iceberg in terms of severe cases," said Mark Pallansch, a virologist and director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Division of Viral Diseases.
"We're in the middle of looking into this," he told CNN on Sunday. "We don't have all the answers yet."
Ten states have contacted the CDC for assistance in investigating clusters of enterovirus -- Colorado, North Carolina, Georgia, Ohio, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Kentucky.
Enteroviruses, which bring on symptoms like a very intense cold, aren't unusual. They're actually common. When you have a bad summer cold, often what you have is an enterovirus, he said. The season often hits its peak in September.
'Unprecedented' virus striking kids.
As millions of children head back to school this month, teachers and parents are dreading the "Back-to-School Plague." Schools are full of hot zones for germs, Dr. Harly Rotbart says. Here are his top eight.
Let's start with the bathroom, which most people assume is a germ haven. Not so, Rotbart says, as most school bathrooms are cleaned regularly. The bathroom door is another story: Not all kids wash their hands like they should, so exiting could be hazardous to your health.
Cafeteria trays rarely get wiped off between meals, Rotbart says. With food and a variety of kids touching them, they can be hosts to some serious germs. Rotbart tells kids to use hand sanitizer after they bring their trays to the table.
Also dangerous? Sack lunches, which "typically spoil before lunchtime," Rotbart says. Pack food that needs to be refrigerated in an insulated lunch box with frozen blue ice packs, and freeze any juice boxes. Doing so will lower the chance of food-borne illnesses.
Students spend most of the day at their desks. That means any sneezes, coughs or ... nasal leakage ends up all over. Students then touch their desktops and take those germs home to Mom.
Most art classes have kids share supplies like paintbrushes, markers and scissors. Students often touch these and then touch their faces or pass them to other kids. Plus, cleaning art supplies is not a top priority for teachers, Rotbart says.
Your kids might be passing germs along with those winning touchdowns. Worst of all, Rotbart says, is that football and other sports helmets are a good way to spread lice.
Germs like to play Ring Around the Rosie on the playground. Any microorganisms on kids' hands get spread to the monkey bars, the slide, the teeter totter, etc. where other children can pick them up.
If Rotbart had to pick the No. 1 germiest place in schools, it would be the drinking fountain. Kids put their mouths right on the spout, which is disinfected even less than the bathroom door. It helps to teach your children to keep their mouths off the metal and to let the water run for a second before drinking.
The unusual situation now is that there have been so many hospitalizations.
The virus is sending 30 children a day to a Kansas City, Missouri, hospital, where about 15% of the youngsters were placed in intensive care, officials said.
In a sign of a possible regional outbreak, Colorado, Illinois and Ohio are reporting cases with similar symptoms and are awaiting testing results, according to officials and CNN affiliates in those states.
In Kansas City, about 450 children were recently treated at Children's Mercy Hospital, and at least 60 of them received intensive hospitalization, spokesman Jake Jacobson said.
"It's worse in terms of scope of critically ill children who require intensive care. I would call it unprecedented. I've practiced for 30 years in pediatrics, and I've never seen anything quite like this," said Dr. Mary Anne Jackson, the hospital's division director for infectious diseases.
"We've had to mobilize other providers, doctors, nurses. It's big," she said.
The Kansas City hospital treats 90% of that area's ill children. Staff members noticed an initial spike on August 15, Jackson said.
"It could have taken off right after school started. Our students start back around August 17, and I think it blew up at that point," Jackson said. "Our peak appears to be between the 21st and the 30th of August. We've seen some leveling of cases at this point."
No vaccine for virus
This particular type of enterovirus -- EV-D68 -- is uncommon, but not new. It was first identified in the 1960s and there have been fewer than 100 reported cases since that time. But it's possible, Pallansch said, that the relatively low number of reports might be because EV-D68 is hard to identify.
EV-D68 was seen last year in the United States and this year in various parts of the world. Over the years, clusters have been reported in Georgia, Pennsylvania, Arizona and various countries including the Philippines, Japan and the Netherlands.
An analysis by the CDC showed at least 19 of the Kansas City children tested positive for EV-D68, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.
Vaccines for EV-D68 aren't currently available, and there is no specific treatment for infections, the Missouri agency said.
"Many infections will be mild and self-limited, requiring only symptomatic treatment," it said. "Some people with several respiratory illness caused by EV-D68 may need to be hospitalized and receive intensive supportive therapy."
Some cases of the virus might contribute to death, but none of the Missouri cases resulted in death and no data are available for overall morbidity and mortality from the virus in the United States, the agency said.
Symptoms include fever, body and muscles aches, sneezing, coughing and rash, one hospital said.
Jackson said physicians in other Midwest states reported cases with similar symptoms.
"The full scope is yet to be known, but it would appear it's in the Midwest. In our community, meticulous hand-washing is not happening. It's just the nature of kids," Jackson said.
"Worst I've seen"
Denver also is seeing a spike in respiratory illnesses resembling the virus, and hospitals have sent specimens for testing to confirm whether it's the same virus, CNN affiliate KUSA said.
More than 900 children have gone to Children's Hospital Colorado emergency and urgent care locations since August 18 for treatment of severe respiratory illnesses, including enterovirus and viral infections, hospital spokeswoman Melissa Vizcarra told CNN. Of those, 86 have been sick enough to be admitted to the Aurora facility.
And Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children had five children in intensive care and 20 more in the pediatric unit, KUSA said last week.
"This is the worst I've seen in my time here at Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children," Dr. Raju Meyeppan told the outlet. "We're going to have a pretty busy winter at this institution and throughout the hospitals of Denver."
Will Cornejo, 13, was among the children in intensive care at Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children after he came down with a cold last weekend and then woke up Tuesday night with an asthma attack that couldn't be controlled with his medicine albuterol. His mother, Jennifer, called 911 when her son's breathing became shallow, and her son was airlifted to the Denver hospital, she told KUSA.
Her son was put on a breathing tube for 24 hours.
"It was like nothing we've ever seen," Jennifer Cornejo told KUSA. "He was unresponsive. He was laying on the couch. He couldn't speak to me. He was turning white and his lips turned blue.
"We're having a hard time believing that it really happened," she added. "We're much better now because he is breathing on his own. We're on the mend."
Restricting kids' visits with patients
In East Columbus, Ohio, Nationwide Children's Hospital saw a 20% increase in patients with respiratory illnesses last weekend, and Dr. Dennis Cunningham said patient samples are being tested to determine whether EV-D68 is behind the spike, CNN affiliate WTTE reported.
Elsewhere, Hannibal Regional Hospital in Hannibal, Missouri, reported "recent outbreaks of enterovirus infections in Missouri and Illinois," the facility said this week on its Facebook page.
Blessing Hospital in Quincy, Illinois, saw more than 70 children with respiratory issues last weekend, and seven of them were admitted, CNN affiliate WGEM reported. The hospital's Dr. Robert Merrick believes that the same virus that hit Kansas City is causing the rash of illnesses seen at the Quincy and Hannibal hospitals, which both imposed restrictions this week on children visiting patients, the affiliate said.
"Mostly we're concerned about them bringing it in to a vulnerable patient. We don't feel that the hospital is more dangerous to any other person at this time," Merrick told WGEM.
<snip>
http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/07/health/respiratory-virus-midwest/index.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_topstories+%28RSS%3 A+Top+Stories%29
The initial symptoms look like a common cold, but then hit the kids hard.
Yes, kids are nothing more than walking bug factories, but apparently EV-D68 is turning into a very dangerous virus for then.
If you have kids, or even grandkids who are of school age, stay vigilant and tell them to WASH THEIR HANDS more often.
CDC official: Virus hitting Midwest could be 'tip of iceberg'
A respiratory virus is sending hundreds of children to hospitals in Missouri and possibly throughout the Midwest and beyond, officials say.
The unusually high number of hospitalizations reported now could be "just the tip of the iceberg in terms of severe cases," said Mark Pallansch, a virologist and director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Division of Viral Diseases.
"We're in the middle of looking into this," he told CNN on Sunday. "We don't have all the answers yet."
Ten states have contacted the CDC for assistance in investigating clusters of enterovirus -- Colorado, North Carolina, Georgia, Ohio, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Kentucky.
Enteroviruses, which bring on symptoms like a very intense cold, aren't unusual. They're actually common. When you have a bad summer cold, often what you have is an enterovirus, he said. The season often hits its peak in September.
'Unprecedented' virus striking kids.
As millions of children head back to school this month, teachers and parents are dreading the "Back-to-School Plague." Schools are full of hot zones for germs, Dr. Harly Rotbart says. Here are his top eight.
Let's start with the bathroom, which most people assume is a germ haven. Not so, Rotbart says, as most school bathrooms are cleaned regularly. The bathroom door is another story: Not all kids wash their hands like they should, so exiting could be hazardous to your health.
Cafeteria trays rarely get wiped off between meals, Rotbart says. With food and a variety of kids touching them, they can be hosts to some serious germs. Rotbart tells kids to use hand sanitizer after they bring their trays to the table.
Also dangerous? Sack lunches, which "typically spoil before lunchtime," Rotbart says. Pack food that needs to be refrigerated in an insulated lunch box with frozen blue ice packs, and freeze any juice boxes. Doing so will lower the chance of food-borne illnesses.
Students spend most of the day at their desks. That means any sneezes, coughs or ... nasal leakage ends up all over. Students then touch their desktops and take those germs home to Mom.
Most art classes have kids share supplies like paintbrushes, markers and scissors. Students often touch these and then touch their faces or pass them to other kids. Plus, cleaning art supplies is not a top priority for teachers, Rotbart says.
Your kids might be passing germs along with those winning touchdowns. Worst of all, Rotbart says, is that football and other sports helmets are a good way to spread lice.
Germs like to play Ring Around the Rosie on the playground. Any microorganisms on kids' hands get spread to the monkey bars, the slide, the teeter totter, etc. where other children can pick them up.
If Rotbart had to pick the No. 1 germiest place in schools, it would be the drinking fountain. Kids put their mouths right on the spout, which is disinfected even less than the bathroom door. It helps to teach your children to keep their mouths off the metal and to let the water run for a second before drinking.
The unusual situation now is that there have been so many hospitalizations.
The virus is sending 30 children a day to a Kansas City, Missouri, hospital, where about 15% of the youngsters were placed in intensive care, officials said.
In a sign of a possible regional outbreak, Colorado, Illinois and Ohio are reporting cases with similar symptoms and are awaiting testing results, according to officials and CNN affiliates in those states.
In Kansas City, about 450 children were recently treated at Children's Mercy Hospital, and at least 60 of them received intensive hospitalization, spokesman Jake Jacobson said.
"It's worse in terms of scope of critically ill children who require intensive care. I would call it unprecedented. I've practiced for 30 years in pediatrics, and I've never seen anything quite like this," said Dr. Mary Anne Jackson, the hospital's division director for infectious diseases.
"We've had to mobilize other providers, doctors, nurses. It's big," she said.
The Kansas City hospital treats 90% of that area's ill children. Staff members noticed an initial spike on August 15, Jackson said.
"It could have taken off right after school started. Our students start back around August 17, and I think it blew up at that point," Jackson said. "Our peak appears to be between the 21st and the 30th of August. We've seen some leveling of cases at this point."
No vaccine for virus
This particular type of enterovirus -- EV-D68 -- is uncommon, but not new. It was first identified in the 1960s and there have been fewer than 100 reported cases since that time. But it's possible, Pallansch said, that the relatively low number of reports might be because EV-D68 is hard to identify.
EV-D68 was seen last year in the United States and this year in various parts of the world. Over the years, clusters have been reported in Georgia, Pennsylvania, Arizona and various countries including the Philippines, Japan and the Netherlands.
An analysis by the CDC showed at least 19 of the Kansas City children tested positive for EV-D68, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.
Vaccines for EV-D68 aren't currently available, and there is no specific treatment for infections, the Missouri agency said.
"Many infections will be mild and self-limited, requiring only symptomatic treatment," it said. "Some people with several respiratory illness caused by EV-D68 may need to be hospitalized and receive intensive supportive therapy."
Some cases of the virus might contribute to death, but none of the Missouri cases resulted in death and no data are available for overall morbidity and mortality from the virus in the United States, the agency said.
Symptoms include fever, body and muscles aches, sneezing, coughing and rash, one hospital said.
Jackson said physicians in other Midwest states reported cases with similar symptoms.
"The full scope is yet to be known, but it would appear it's in the Midwest. In our community, meticulous hand-washing is not happening. It's just the nature of kids," Jackson said.
"Worst I've seen"
Denver also is seeing a spike in respiratory illnesses resembling the virus, and hospitals have sent specimens for testing to confirm whether it's the same virus, CNN affiliate KUSA said.
More than 900 children have gone to Children's Hospital Colorado emergency and urgent care locations since August 18 for treatment of severe respiratory illnesses, including enterovirus and viral infections, hospital spokeswoman Melissa Vizcarra told CNN. Of those, 86 have been sick enough to be admitted to the Aurora facility.
And Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children had five children in intensive care and 20 more in the pediatric unit, KUSA said last week.
"This is the worst I've seen in my time here at Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children," Dr. Raju Meyeppan told the outlet. "We're going to have a pretty busy winter at this institution and throughout the hospitals of Denver."
Will Cornejo, 13, was among the children in intensive care at Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children after he came down with a cold last weekend and then woke up Tuesday night with an asthma attack that couldn't be controlled with his medicine albuterol. His mother, Jennifer, called 911 when her son's breathing became shallow, and her son was airlifted to the Denver hospital, she told KUSA.
Her son was put on a breathing tube for 24 hours.
"It was like nothing we've ever seen," Jennifer Cornejo told KUSA. "He was unresponsive. He was laying on the couch. He couldn't speak to me. He was turning white and his lips turned blue.
"We're having a hard time believing that it really happened," she added. "We're much better now because he is breathing on his own. We're on the mend."
Restricting kids' visits with patients
In East Columbus, Ohio, Nationwide Children's Hospital saw a 20% increase in patients with respiratory illnesses last weekend, and Dr. Dennis Cunningham said patient samples are being tested to determine whether EV-D68 is behind the spike, CNN affiliate WTTE reported.
Elsewhere, Hannibal Regional Hospital in Hannibal, Missouri, reported "recent outbreaks of enterovirus infections in Missouri and Illinois," the facility said this week on its Facebook page.
Blessing Hospital in Quincy, Illinois, saw more than 70 children with respiratory issues last weekend, and seven of them were admitted, CNN affiliate WGEM reported. The hospital's Dr. Robert Merrick believes that the same virus that hit Kansas City is causing the rash of illnesses seen at the Quincy and Hannibal hospitals, which both imposed restrictions this week on children visiting patients, the affiliate said.
"Mostly we're concerned about them bringing it in to a vulnerable patient. We don't feel that the hospital is more dangerous to any other person at this time," Merrick told WGEM.
<snip>
http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/07/health/respiratory-virus-midwest/index.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_topstories+%28RSS%3 A+Top+Stories%29