MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Doctors at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital say it’s not if, but when, they’ll see a case of Enterovirus D68.
The CDC is reporting more than 500 cases of EV-D68 in 43 states. So far, no cases have been confirmed in Tennessee.
Monday, doctors at Le Bonheur said they began seeing an increase in respiratory illnesses in August.
“We wouldn’t be surprised to find many cases of EV-D68 in Tennessee or in Memphis or at Le Bonheur within the past few months,” said Dr. John DeVincenzo.
Le Bonheur has only asked the CDC to confirm two cases of suspected EV-D68, including one that involved a patient who experience weakness of the limbs.
Due to a backlog at the CDC, though, they don’t know if the new strain of the virus has made its way here, but hope all the work they’re doing in their own research lab will change that.
“We should be able to identify this particular virus in the next couple of weeks her at Le Bonheur,” said Dr. Jon McCullers.
Infectious disease doctors and the medical officer of the health department held a news conference to talk about the disease that’s getting so much attention and to let parents know most children who get this virus just have symptoms of a cold.
“If you are just having a cough and runny nose, you should stay at home and wait to get better. You should seek medical care if your child is experiencing symptoms that would require the doctor to assess the child, and usually that is related to having difficulty breathing,” said Dr. Arnold.
Doctors said just like with a cold or flu, you should take precautions to prevent it from spreading. They said that includes washing your hands and keeping sick children at home.
Health experts said hospitals are seeing double the number of respiratory illnesses among children they normally do this time of year, but said the percentage of hospitalizations caused by the enterovirus D68 should drop as the cold and flu season kicks in.