School Reopening: Here's Another Virus Parents Should Learn About
Medical providers and parents should keep a high index of suspicion for AFM in young children if they developed muscle weakness in the limbs, neck, or back pain after recovering from an upper respiratory infection in the late summer into early fall.
While all eyes are focused on fighting COVID-19, a new report by CDC cautions parents to be vigilant of a virus that has been causing outbreaks since 2014 that happens every 2 years during late summer and early fall.
The world's eyes are now focused on fighting SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, to stop the pandemic. With school reopening soon, there is a new virus that parents should look learn about.
According to the report recently published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a virus has been causing an outbreak every two years since 2014, during late summer and early fall. They think it could strike again this year.
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Acute Flaccid Myelitis
Health experts believe that EV-D68, one of the non-polio enteroviruses, is the culprit behind the acute flaccid myelitis (AFM). It is a condition wherein a patient experiences a permanent paralysis of muscles that controls breathing and limb movements.
There are many kinds of enteroviruses, and most of them affect the gastrointestinal tract. But EV-D68 prefers attacking the respiratory tract that can lead to a wide array of diseases ranging from mild to severe respiratory illness or to having minimal symptoms to no symptoms at all.
Enteroviruses are usually spread by contact with secretions like mucus, saliva, or feces from an infected person. They are also spread through direct contact or larger respiratory droplets. Anyone who caught the virus can be contagious for about ten days after developing symptoms.
Respiratory tract disease caused by EV-D68 may have symptoms that include runny nose, cough, sneezing, and body pain. These symptoms can progress into difficulty in breathing.
As a result, experts advise people to adhere to contact and droplet precautions and stay up to date to vaccinations, thoroughly and regularly wash the hands, and take precautions to reduce mosquito bites.
Although EV-D68 is often regarded as the virus causing AFM, the real cause is still unknown ever since its outbreak began in 2014. The CDC did not detect EV-D68 in all children with AFM during a national outbreak that year.
The ongoing is that there is no way to determine which children may have an elevated risk of developing AFM and that there is no approved treatment for it, other than supportive care that involves oxygen or ventilatory support.
AFM's long-term effect is not yet clear as of this time. Although some patients recover quickly, others remained paralyzed and requiring ongoing treatment and care to support their breathing monitor their neurological deterioration.
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Parents Should Be Vigilant for Symptoms of AFM
Symptoms of AFM may be similar to poliovirus, which makes it harder to diagnose. But those who contracted AFM may present a sudden facial droop and difficulty keeping their eyes open, trouble swallowing, and slurred speech.
Since there is no specific treatment for AFM, parents should be vigilant for signs of muscular weakness or difficulty in breathing that develops during or after the recovery from an upper respiratory infection.
Medical providers and parents should keep a high index of suspicion for AFM in young children if they developed muscle weakness in the limbs, neck, or back pain after recovering from an upper respiratory infection in the late summer into early fall.
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Check out more news and information on COVID-19 and Flaccid Myelitis on MD News Daily.
Aug 10, 2020 07:20 AM EDT
