Baltimore County Boy Diagnosed with Enterovirus

Drew Ratajczak, 9, went to Franklin Square’s emergency room two days in a row recently, the second time as he was turning blue around the mouth, according to WBAL.

Medical staff told his mother, Brandi Ratajczak, that he seemed to have a bad cold, but she had heard of enterovirus 68 and asked her pediatrician to test him for it, WJZ reported; the test came back positive.

On Wednesday, the Maryland Department of Mental Health and Hygiene confirmed that the first case of enterovirus 68 was collected from a hospitalized child in suburban Maryland, who has since been released and is recovering.

Authorities cannot confirm the specifics about the case due to privacy issues.

However, at least one hospital in Baltimore County says it’s prepared to treat the illness.

Before the first case of enterovirus was verified this week, Greater Baltimore Medical Center in Towson reported that it had plans in place for handling an outbreak.

During previous incidents in which viruses were rampant, GMBC told WBAL that it set up tents outside the medical center on North Charles Street to help sort out who needed care most urgently.

Enterovirus D68 rapidly spreads into a respiratory infection, so hospital personnel told WBAL that the medical center has extra staff and breathing equipment in place in the event of an influx of patients.

Signs of enterovirus 68 can range from mild issues like runny nose, sneezing, cough, fever and body/muscle aches to more serious symptoms such as wheezing and difficulty breathing, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Screenshot from WBAL/YouTube of GMBC.