Michigan Department of Community Health: 25 confirmed cases of enterovirus 68

DETROIT – The Michigan Department of Community Health revealed Tuesday there are now 25 confirmed cases of enterovirus 68 in the state.

One of the cases is in Washtenaw County. It involves a child younger than 1 year old who developed partial paralysis.

"The Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) has been notified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that 25 patients out of 34 persons tested so far are positive for enterovirus D68 (EV-D68)," the MDCH's statement reads in part. "Most were hospitalized and one patient, a child less than 1 year of age from Washtenaw County, developed lower extremity paralysis."

It's not the first time paralysis has been mentioned with the virus. There are at least a dozen cases in Colorado, where one child with enterovirus 68 developed weakness or paralysis in their arms or legs.

"Is it possible? Yes. Would I be concerned as a parent? Absolutely," said Local 4 Medical Expert Dr. Frank McGeorge. "That's not unreasonable, but would I be concerned to the point that I would take my child out of school if there was another sick child in their classroom? No."

But why can it cause paralysis in some but not others?

"It basically causes a reaction in your body that damages the nerves and everyone has a sightly different variation of that reaction," said McGeorge. "In some people it is more severe and causes more damage, it causes more permanent paralysis and much more severe paralysis.

The virus can cause mild to severe illness, with the worst cases needing life support for breathing difficulties. Kids with asthma have been especially vulnerable. No deaths were reported.

The strain is not new but rarely seen, and only a small number of labs can test for it. A spike in cases was first identified in mid-August.

From the CDC:

  • The primary reason for increases in cases is that several states are investigating clusters of people with severe respiratory illness, and specimens are still being tested for EV-D68. It can take a while to test specimens and obtain lab results. That's because the testing is complex and slower, and can only be done by CDC and a small number of state public health laboratories. As the backlog of specimens is processed, the number of states and confirmed cases will likely increase. These increases will not necessarily reflect changes in real time, or mean that the situation is getting worse.
  • Some of the increase will be from new EV-D68 infections since people are more likely to get infected with enteroviruses in the summer and fall. We are currently in the middle of the enterovirus season.

Michiganders can protect themselves from enterovirus by taking general hygiene precautions:

• Wash hands often with soap and water for 20 seconds, especially after changing diapers.
• Cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing.
• Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoid kissing, hugging, and sharing cups or eating utensils with people who are sick.
• Disinfect frequently touched surfaces, such as doorknobs, especially if someone is sick.

"It's very important for every parent to consider getting flu vaccines for their children if they haven't done in the past or if they weren't thinking about it," said McGeorge. "Preventing a child from getting influenza is one of the best ways to prevent them from getting any serious complications if they were to also get enterovirus 68, because if you get the two together, I think you're going to have a lot of problems."

For additional information about EV-D68 or the national investigation, visit the CDC website at http://www.cdc.gov/non-polio-enterovirus/about/EV-D68.html.


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