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Doctors say a respiratory illness that has sickened more than a thousand children in just 10 states is likely to become a nationwide problem. 9-8-14
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(WBIR- Knoxville) Doctors believe a respiratory illness that has sickened more than a thousand children in ten states is likely to become a nationwide problem.
Thousands of children in states like Missouri and Kansas, and even as close as Kentucky, North Carolina, and Georgia are feeling the symptoms.
The disease hasn't affected a child here in Tennessee, but officials said it could only be a matter of time.
At first the virus seems like a common cold, and then it gets worse.
'To be honest, I felt like I was going to die,' said Will Cornejo, who was infected by virus.
This case, out of Georgia, is one of thousands that are taking place across the United States. Luckily for East Tennessee, no cases have been reported.
'It can easily come to Tennessee without us realizing it,' said Darci Hodge, Director of Infection Control at East Tennessee Children's Hospital. 'How bad it will be in Tennessee, we have no way of knowing.'
Officials have not yet identified the virus but they are suspecting it may be a rare respiratory virus called human enterovirus 68. It's a virus that has caused some children to be hospitalized across the country.
'The severity of it depends on if a child already has some preexisting conditions, like if they have asthma or other types of respiratory illnesses,' said Hodge.
Doctors said they aren't sure how this virus is spreading but they suspect it may have something to do with back-to-school season.
'They are in a more confined area,' Hodges said. 'They may not be cleaning their hands as much as they should or as often as they should. If the cough on the desk and other children come by and touch the desk and touch their face, they are passing the virus on to them.'
So how can parents tell the difference between a cold and this virus?
'If their child stops eating, stops drinking, that is a sign that something more seriously than a cold is going on,' Hodges explained. 'If they start to have breathing problems where they may have retractions, you can pull up their little shirt and you see their chest sucking in, that's severe.'
Doctors said this disease will spread exactly the way a cold does, which is one reason for the recent outbreak.
Making sure your child is washing their hands, and covering their mouth during sneezes and coughs can prevent it from spreading. If it seems too bad, its important to get your child to the hospital.
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Posted by Unknown on Tuesday, September 9, 2014 - Rating: 4.5
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