Five San Diego County residents have been infected with enterovirus D68 so far this year, state health officials said Friday.
Statewide, nine other cases of the potentially fatal respiratory disease have been confirmed as of Wednesday — two in Alameda, and one each in the counties of Los Angeles, Riverside, San Francisco, Santa Cruz, Solano and Ventura, according to the California Department of Public Health, and one case in the city of Long Beach.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the illness, also known as EV-D68, has infected a total of 538 people in 43 states and the District of Columbia since mid-August. Most of the patients are young children, and many have a history of asthma.
“We are not surprised to find EV-D68 causing some illnesses in California given the apparent widespread nature of this virus in other parts of the country,” state Department of Public Health Director and state Health Officer Dr. Ron Chapman said.
State health officials said that 13 of the confirmed cases resulted in respiratory illness and the other in acute flaccid paralysis, which is sometimes associated with enterovirus.
Authorities said more cases are expected to be confirmed in coming weeks.
Last month, local health officials revealed that EV-D68 had reached San Diego County. Three children who live in the region, and a fourth child who was visiting were afflicted with the virus and were treated at Rady Children’s Hospital, according to the county Health and Human Services Agency.
“Rady Children’s began seeing a steady rise in the number of children coming to the hospital with respiratory conditions in mid-August, and the numbers continue to increase,” Dr. John Bradley, pediatric infectious disease specialist at the hospital, said last month.
“However, for most children, EV-D68 is experienced as a common cold, so a trip to the emergency department is generally not necessary unless the child has difficulty breathing or an unusually high fever,” Bradley said.
Enterovirus D68 likely spreads as an infected person coughs, sneezes, or touches contaminated surfaces. Symptoms of EV-D68 can include fever, runny nose, sneezing, cough, and body and muscle aches.
State health officials recommended that parents seek immediate medical attention for children who are having breathing difficulty or show blueness around the lips, particularly if the child suffers from asthma.
Health officials suggested taking precautions similar to those used to avoid getting the flu. Those measures include washing hands often with soap and water for 20 seconds, especially after changing diapers; avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands; not kissing, hugging, and sharing cups or eating utensils with people who are sick; and disinfecting frequently touched surfaces, such as toys and doorknobs, especially if someone is sick.
— City News Service
