What Parents Need to Know About Enterovirus D68
The CDC recently issued an alert to healthcare professionals about enterovirus D68, which has been found in children hospitalized with severe respiratory illness. This virus can also cause a form of paralysis known as acute flaccid myelitis. Most illnesses caused by this virus do not cause paralysis, but it is good for providers to keep this in mind. So what does this mean for you as a parent?
What is enterovirus D68?
This virus is an enterovirus from the same family as poliomyelitis. (There is actually a whole group of such “non-polio enteroviruses.”) Enteroviruses spend some of their time in the gut, hence the name, but they can also cause respiratory symptoms such as a runny nose, sneezing, and coughing. Some of the recent cases of EV-D68 have been accompanied by severe respiratory symptoms, especially in children with a history of asthma or wheezing.
EV-D68 is one of the viruses associated with acute flaccid myelitis (AFM), which was described as polio paralysis during its first major wave in 2014. 2016, 2018 and 2020, and it looks like this trend will continue this year.
What is acute flaccid myelitis?
Myelitis is an inflammation of the spinal cord that can cause weakness and paralysis. “Acute” means that it comes on suddenly, while “flaccid” means that the affected body part may appear flabby. (This is to distinguish it from other forms of paralysis, in which the muscle may contract or twitch.)
Symptoms of AFM may include weakness in an arm or leg, but other parts of the body may be affected, including drooping eyelids, slurred speech, or difficulty swallowing. The CDC calls AFM “rare but serious”. If your child has any of these symptoms, be sure to seek medical attention.
What should parents know?
It is important to remember that this virus is not very common, and ACM is even rarer. In short: don’t panic.
Fortunately, ways to protect yourself and your child from this virus are the same things you should already be doing to reduce your risk of colds, flu, COVID, intestinal infections, and other common illnesses. The CDC has an information poster for parents that advises the following:
- Avoid close contact with sick people
- Cover your coughs and sneezes
- Wash your hands often with soap and water
- Clean and disinfect surfaces
- Don’t touch your face with unwashed hands
- Stay at home when you are sick
There is no vaccine for EV-D68, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continues to advise getting vaccines on time to protect yourself from other diseases that can cause similar symptoms, including polio and the flu.
If your child has asthma, the CDC recommends making sure they have an updated asthma action plan that outlines what medications and precautions to take based on how much asthma bothers them. And, as always, seek immediate medical attention if they have trouble breathing.