Another Health Concern: Enterovirus D68
(CBS) – There are new worries about the fast-spreading Enterovirus D68.
A four-year-old preschooler is the first confirmed victim to die from the virus in the U.S., and he hadn't shown any symptoms.
CBS 2's Derrick Blakley reports on what parents need to know now.
Eli Waller died Sept. 25, but the cause of his death was just released Friday: Enterovirus D68.
"For most individuals, it will likely be a very mild infection, but in some individuals, we're seeing a very severe respiratory-type illness, almost like the flu," says Dr. Jen Leyden of Loyola Medical Center, an infectious disease specialist.
Eli attended Yardville Elementary in Hamilton, N.J. Most worrying: He stayed home one day with pink eye, went to sleep and never woke up.
"It's not typical," Leyden notes. "Typically, you're going to notice symptoms like a cough, runny nose, congestion, sometimes fever, but the fever does not have to be there."
The virus has sickened 500 people across the country, many of them kids with pre-existing conditions like asthma. Four other deaths are linked to Enterovirus68, but it's not clear what role the virus played.
The prevalence of the enterovirus means parents have to remain vigilant for its signs and symptoms at the same time when the general flu season is just starting to kick in.
Like the flu, Enterovirus D68 is spread from someone else who is sick, either by physical contact or coughing and sneezing.
