The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned of the threat of enterovirus in children and the risk of rare paralysis that can follow after the disease virtually disappeared for several years.
The health agency is now urging doctors to be vigilant for a renewed wave of enterovirus D68, or EV-D68, a viral infection in children that can cause a rare kind of paralysis. The CDC said that in July and August, hospitals detected an increase in infections caused by enterovirus D68.
Enterovirus Cases
The number is now the biggest seen since 2018 when the agency tracked the last wave of summer and fall infections caused by the virus. Many kids are infected by enterovirus D68 early in their life and will only face a range of mild cold-like symptoms at worst, such as a runny nose and cough.
One study in Missouri conducted from 2012 to 2013 found that antibodies from a prior infection were found in every child that they tested. However, some children, especially those with underlying health conditions, such as asthma, are at higher risk of severe symptoms that can cause breathing issues and require hospitalization, as per CBS News.
A small percentage of kids infected by enterovirus D68 also develop a rare complication known as acute flaccid myelitis (AFM), which can result in muscle weakness and paralysis similar to, but likely rarer than, the paralysis caused by the polio virus.
There were 238 reports of acute flaccid Myelitis to the CDC in 2018, which are believed to be largely caused by spikes in the virus. There has been no significant increase in such paralysis observed so far this year, said the agency. However, as the virus continues to spread, there is growing concern that it is only a matter of time.
According to Medscape Medical News, Rick Malley, MD, of the division of infectious disease at Boston Children's Hospital, said during an interview that something they are always on the lookout for in the late summer and fall is AFM cases. He said that unfortunately, they expect this situation during the enterovirus season.
Sudden Outbreak
Since the CDC started to track AFM in August 2014, there have been 692 confirmed cases in the United States. Spikes in AFM were recorded in 2014, 2016, and 2018, the majority of which were found in young children.
There were 28 confirmed cases across 15 states in 2021 and the CDC did not specify the age of those cases. Malley noted that AFM can be very severe and can be very scary for the parents of the children who have it. However, he noted that it is a relatively rare event even in susceptible individuals.
Symptoms of the virus include sneezing, body aches, and muscle aches. The primary mode of transmission is from person to person through an infected individual's cough, sneeze, or touch of a surface. There is no specific treatment for the virus and hospitalization may sometimes be required. The health agency urged residents to regularly wash their hands and not touch their faces in an attempt to protect themselves from the virus, Fox5 DC reported.
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