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发帖数: 40861 | 1 http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/07/health/respiratory-virus-midwest/
(CNN) -- A respiratory virus is sending hundreds of children to hospitals in
Missouri and possibly throughout the Midwest and beyond, officials say.
The unusually high number of hospitalizations reported now could be "just
the tip of the iceberg in terms of severe cases," said Mark Pallansch, a
virologist and director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's
Division of Viral Diseases.
"We're in the middle of looking into this," he told CNN on Sunday. "We don't
have all the answers yet."
Ten states have contacted the CDC for assistance in investigating clusters
of enterovirus: Colorado, North Carolina, Georgia, Ohio, Iowa, Illinois,
Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Kentucky.
What is Enterovirus EV-D68?
Enteroviruses, which bring on symptoms like a very intense cold, aren't
unusual. They're actually common. When you have a bad summer cold, often
what you have is an enterovirus, he said. The season often hits its peak in
September.
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The unusual situation now is that there have been so many hospitalizations.
The virus has sent more than 30 children a day to a Kansas City, Missouri,
hospital, where about 15% of the youngsters were placed in intensive care,
officials said.
In a sign of a possible regional outbreak, Colorado, Illinois and Ohio are
reporting cases with similar symptoms and are awaiting testing results,
according to officials and CNN affiliates in those states.
In Kansas City, about 475 children were recently treated at Children's Mercy
Hospital, and at least 60 of them received intensive hospitalization,
spokesman Jake Jacobson said.
"It's worse in terms of scope of critically ill children who require
intensive care. I would call it unprecedented. I've practiced for 30 years
in pediatrics, and I've never seen anything quite like this," said Dr. Mary
Anne Jackson, the hospital's division director for infectious diseases.
"We've had to mobilize other providers, doctors, nurses. It's big," she said.
The Kansas City hospital treats 90% of that area's ill children. Staff
members noticed an initial spike on August 15, Jackson said.
"It could have taken off right after school started. Our students start back
around August 17, and I think it blew up at that point," Jackson said. "Our
peak appears to be between the 21st and the 30th of August. We've seen some
leveling of cases at this point."
What parents should know about EV-D68
No vaccine for virus
This particular type of enterovirus -- EV-D68 -- is uncommon but not new. It
was identified in the 1960s, and there have been fewer than 100 reported
cases since that time. But it's possible, Pallansch said, that the
relatively low number of reports might be because EV-D68 is hard to identify.
EV-D68 was seen last year in the United States and this year in various
parts of the world. Over the years, clusters have been reported in Georgia,
Pennsylvania, Arizona and various countries including the Philippines, Japan
and the Netherlands.
An analysis by the CDC showed at least 30 of the Kansas City children tested
positive for EV-D68, according to the Missouri Department of Health and
Senior Services.
Vaccines for EV-D68 aren't currently available, and there is no specific
treatment for infections, the Missouri agency said.
"Many infections will be mild and self-limited, requiring only symptomatic
treatment," it said. "Some people with several respiratory illness caused by
EV-D68 may need to be hospitalized and receive intensive supportive therapy
."
Some cases of the virus might contribute to death, but none of the Missouri
cases resulted in death, and no data are available for overall morbidity and
mortality from the virus in the United States, the agency said.
Symptoms include coughing, difficulty breathing and rash. Sometimes they can
be accompanied by fever or wheezing.
Jackson said physicians in other Midwest states reported cases with similar
symptoms.
"The full scope is yet to be known, but it would appear it's in the Midwest.
In our community, meticulous hand-washing is not happening. It's just the
nature of kids," Jackson said.
'Worst I've seen'
Denver also is seeing a spike in respiratory illnesses resembling the virus,
and hospitals have sent specimens for testing to confirm whether it's the
same virus, CNN affiliate KUSA said.
More than 900 children have gone to Children's Hospital Colorado emergency
and urgent care locations since August 18 for treatment of severe
respiratory illnesses, including enterovirus and viral infections, hospital
spokeswoman Melissa Vizcarra said. Of those, 86 have been sick enough to be
admitted to the Aurora facility.
And Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children had five children in intensive care
and 20 more in the pediatric unit, KUSA said last week.
"This is the worst I've seen in my time here at Rocky Mountain Hospital for
Children," Dr. Raju Meyeppan told the outlet. "We're going to have a pretty
busy winter at this institution and throughout the hospitals of Denver."
Will Cornejo, 13, was among the children in intensive care at Rocky Mountain
Hospital for Children after he came down with a cold last weekend and then
woke up Tuesday night with an asthma attack that couldn't be controlled with
his medicine albuterol. His mother, Jennifer, called 911 when her son's
breathing became shallow, and her son was airlifted to the Denver hospital,
she told KUSA.
Her son was put on a breathing tube for 24 hours.
"It was like nothing we've ever seen," Jennifer Cornejo told KUSA. "He was
unresponsive. He was laying on the couch. He couldn't speak to me. He was
turning white, and his lips turned blue.
"We're having a hard time believing that it really happened," she added. "We
're much better now because he is breathing on his own. We're on the mend."
Restricting kids' visits with patients
In East Columbus, Ohio, Nationwide Children's Hospital saw a 20% increase in
patients with respiratory illnesses last weekend, and Dr. Dennis Cunningham
said patient samples are being tested to determine whether EV-D68 is behind
the spike, CNN affiliate WTTE reported.
Elsewhere, Hannibal Regional Hospital in Hannibal, Missouri, reported "
recent outbreaks of enterovirus infections in Missouri and Illinois," the
facility said this week on its Facebook page.
Blessing Hospital in Quincy, Illinois, saw more than 70 children with
respiratory issues last weekend, and seven of them were admitted, CNN
affiliate WGEM reported. The hospital's Dr. Robert Merrick believes that the
same virus that hit Kansas City is causing the rash of illnesses seen at
the Quincy and Hannibal hospitals, which both imposed restrictions this week
on children visiting patients, the affiliate said.
"Mostly we're concerned about them bringing it in to a vulnerable patient.
We don't feel that the hospital is more dangerous to any other person at
this time," Merrick told WGEM.
Blessing Hospital is working with Illinois health officials to identify the
virus, the hospital said in a statement.
While there are more than 100 types of enteroviruses causing up to 15
million U.S. infections annually, EV-D68 infections occur less commonly, the
Missouri health agency said. Like other enteroviruses, the respiratory
illness appears to spread through close contact with infected people, the
agency said.
"Unlike the majority of enteroviruses that cause a clinical disease
manifesting as a mild upper respiratory illness, febrile rash illness, or
neurologic illness (such as aseptic meningitis and encephalitis), EV-D68 has
been associated almost exclusively with respiratory disease," the agency
said.
Clusters of the virus have struck Asia, Europe and the United States from
2008 to 2010, and the infection caused relatively mild to severe illness,
with some intensive care and mechanical ventilation, the health agency said.
To reduce the risk of infection, individuals should wash hands often with
soap and water for 20 seconds, especially after changing diapers; 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 toys and doorknobs; and stay home when
feeling sick, the Missouri agency said. | m**********a
发帖数: 10817 | 2 连个流感都jjww半天， 估计免疫系统完蛋了
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【在 g***j 的大作中提到】
: http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/07/health/respiratory-virus-midwest/
: (CNN) -- A respiratory virus is sending hundreds of children to hospitals in
: Missouri and possibly throughout the Midwest and beyond, officials say.
: The unusually high number of hospitalizations reported now could be "just
: the tip of the iceberg in terms of severe cases," said Mark Pallansch, a
: virologist and director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's
: Division of Viral Diseases.
: "We're in the middle of looking into this," he told CNN on Sunday. "We don't
: have all the answers yet."
: Ten states have contacted the CDC for assistance in investigating clusters
|
|
