Three cases confirmed of enterovirus D68

[WTB]

(CNN) -- Canadian health officials have confirmed three cases of Enterovirus D68 in British Columbia. A fourth suspected case from a patient with severe respiratory illness is still under investigation.

Two of the confirmed cases are children between 5 and 9, said Dr. Danuta Skowronski, lead epidemiologist on emerging respiratory viruses at the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control. The third is a teen between 15 and 19.

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What parents should know

In the meantime, parents should be on the lookout for the symptoms of Enterovirus D68. Unfortunately, in the beginning it's difficult -- if not impossible -- to tell the difference between a regular cold and this type of virus. But if your child develops a fever or a rash, or if he has difficulty breathing, seek medical attention right away.

Children with asthma or a history of breathing problems are particularly susceptible for severe symptoms.
http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/17/health/enterovirus-outbreak/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

 

[WTB]

Re: Three cases confirmed of enterovirus D68

Enterovirus D68: 3 confirmed cases in B.C.'s Lower Mainland

CBC News Posted: Sep 16, 2014 8:54 AM PT| Last Updated: Sep 18, 2014 5:52 AM PT

A respiratory virus that has been sweeping across the United States in recent weeks has now been confirmed in three people in B.C.

Dr. Mel Krajden, an associate medical director with the B.C. Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC), said earlier Tuesday that there were four suspected cases of enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) infection in B.C., involving three children and one adult.

Enterovirus D-68 suspected in Alberta hospital cases
Four-year-old Elizabeth Johnston still needs medication to help her breathe, after being hospitalized in Calgary with a respiratory illness last week. Doctors suspect the enterovirus D68 strain, which has been infecting children across the U.S., may be to blame. (CBC)

Just hours later, the BCCDC said that three suspected cases in the Lower Mainland have been confirmed as EV-D68.

The virus has now also been confirmed to have made at least 18 children ill in Alberta, and is suspected in over a dozen children's hospitalizations in Washington State. Some of the first reports of the virus being detected in multiple cases occurred this summer in Illinois and Missouri.

Medical health officials say the enterovirus is not uncommon, but the D68 strain usually is, and it tends to cause more serious symptoms including wheezing, trouble breathing and loss of appetite.
■8 things parents should know about enterovirus D68
■Enterovirus D68: national alert sent to health professionals

"It often affects young kids, typically under the age of four," Krajden said.

No children have died during the outbreak of the strain in the U.S., but doctors there say it has caused unusually severe symptoms.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/enterovirus-d68-3-confirmed-cases-in-b-c-s-lower-mainland-1.2767238