Respiratory Virus Affecting Midwest Reported in Cobb County Children

The virus suspected to be behind a rash of hospitalizations of Midwestern school children has made its way to Cobb County, The Marietta Daily Journal reports.

A spokesman for WellStar Kennestone Hospital told the MDJ that they are receiving children infected with Enterovirus-D68, a strain which was first identified in the 1960s but has come to prominence in recent weeks after it has sent hundreds of Missouri children to the hospital.

Tommy Redwood, the medical director of Kennestone Hospital’s emergency department told the MDJ that cases began around mid-August, when school came back into session in Cobb County. Redwood added that usually, the virus is treated like a strong case of the common cold, but sensitive children such as those with asthma, have been hospitalized.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that there are no specific treatments or vaccines for Enterovirus-D68, but says that the virus usually runs its course like a cold and caregivers need only treat the symptoms of the infection.

Cobb County School District Spokesman Jay Dillon told the MDJ that school nurses have been briefed on the virus and its symptoms. The district may also send home more information with students in the near future, Dillon said.

According to CNN, the virus itself usually is not fatal, but it’s usually not that common, either. Nobody is sure as to why the virus has suddenly flared up in the Midwest, affecting children in Missouri, Illinois and Iowa.

Apart from these three states where cases have been confirmed, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that suspicious cases have been reported in Colorado, North Carolina, Georgia, Ohio, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Kentucky.

CNN reports that in Missouri, up to 30 children a day were being sent to the hospital for treatment of enterovirus, and around 15 percent of those were placed in intensive care.

Symptoms can start out resembling a typical cold infection, but Enterovirus-D68 then targets the child’s respiratory system and causes ”mild to severe respiratory illness,” according to the CDC.

As usual, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. The CDC recommends frequent hand washing with warm, soapy water, disinfecting frequently used surfaces, and avoiding contact with those who may be infected.