Enterovirus 71 Photo credit A.J. Cann Flicker cc
CDC official: Virus hitting Midwest could be 'tip of iceberg', reports Michael Martinez, John Newsome, and Elizabeth Cohen, of CNN. Hundreds of children have been hospitalized because of an outbreak of a rare respiratory enterovirus in what Mark Pallansch, a virologist at the Centers of Disease Control, says may be "just the tip of the iceberg in terms of severe cases."
Cases are suspected in Colorado, North Carolina, Georgia, Ohio, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Kentucky.
Enteroviruses are common and responsible for what many experience as an intense "summer cold." What is unusual about this outbreak is the number of children hospitalized. EV-D68 is rare with only about 100 cases report since it was discovered in the 1960s.
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.
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.
"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 throughought the hospitals of Denver."
CNN reports to reduce your rick of viral infections avoid contact with people, wash your hands often with soap and water, "avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth, avoid kissing, hugging and sharing cups or eating utensils with people who are sick; disinfect frequently-touched surfaces such as toys and doorknobs; and stay home when feeling sick, the Missouri agency said."
CBS News reports:
Parents are shocked that within just hours of exhibiting cold symptoms, their children are left gasping for air and placed on a ventilator in the ICU.
"I remember thinking I was going to die," said 13-year-old Will Cornejo. "Yesterday I felt like I couldn't breathe at all."
Will is still on oxygen and in intensive care but his parents say he's improving.
"He was white as a ghost, his lips were blue, he was completely unconscious at that point," said Will's mother, Jennifer Cornejo.
Will was airlifted to a hospital and put on a ventilator where he is now doing well.
3:52 PM PT: Corrections: thanks to Catte Nappe for noticing I had used the name of the boy in the first story instead of the second when reporting "Will was now doing well."
And, in the last paragraph of the CNN segment I somehow dropped quotation marks for the second half of the last sentence which did not give CNN authors credit for that segment. Sorry.