Source: Cherry Hill Courier-Post
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed…New Jersey’s first case of a child sickened by enterovirus D68 (EV-D68)…The department sent about a dozen specimens to the CDC Wednesday to determine whether the virus is present…
The child went to a Philadelphia hospital, improved and was discharged, according to the state Department of Health’s Donna Leusner. “It is irrelevant where the child is from,” she adds, “because this is the time of year that we see respiratory viruses like enteroviruses and we now know that this strain is in our state.”
Leusner continues, “What’s important is to make sure that everyone, especially parents and other caregivers of children, knows the signs and symptoms of enteroviruses and the preventive measures that should be taken like washing your hands with soap and water, not sharing drinking cups or utensils, staying home if you are sick and cover your coughs and sneezes.”
Health Commissioner Mary E. O’Dowd is advising parents and health care providers to be aware of the signs and symptoms of this respiratory illness with symptoms that range from mild to severe, according to a DOH statement.
According to the statement, mild symptoms may include runny nose, sneezing, cough, body and muscle aches and sometimes fever. Severe symptoms include difficulty breathing, wheezing and worsening of asthma.
“While the majority of children will be able to weather this virus without hospitalization, some children, both with asthma and without, may be susceptible to more severe respiratory issues,” said Dr. Jeffrey Seiden, a Virtua Pediatric Emergency Department physician at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
“If your child has the symptoms of a cold, parents should assess if their child is breathing heavily, can’t catch a breath or is very listless,” Seiden said. “Also, in infants, assess if a breathing problem is making it difficult to feed from a bottle or breast. If any of these conditions are present, take your child to your pediatrician or the emergency room for further evaluation and treatment.”