Enterovirus Mimics A Bad Cold, Hits Children With Breathing Problems Harder

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — The now-deadly enterovirus that caused paralysis-like symptoms in one Southern California child initially appears to mimic a bad cold and trigger hospitalization in children with breathing disorders such as asthma, a doctor said Monday.

Enterovirus D-68, which has sickened more than 500 people across the country, is now being blamed for the death of a 4-year-old boy in New Jersey. The child did not show typical signs of the virus; he went to bed with pink eye and never woke up.

Symptoms of enterovirus can include fever, coughing, sneezing, a rash, difficulty breathing and asthma attacks. Some children have also experienced paralysis.

"It's unclear why (enterovirus D68) affects children in this way, but scientists and health officials are trying to find answers on why it appears to attack the nervous system," said Grace Aldrovandi, chief of infectious diseases at Children's Hospital Los Angeles. "While officials can't say for certain that enterovirus D68 is causing paralysis, there does appear to be a strong association."

Children with an underlying respiratory condition appear to be most adversely affected by the virus, said Children's Hospital pediatrician Pia Pannaraj, and symptoms of enterovirus D68 can be hard to distinguish from a common cold.

"However, a fever is not very common with enterovirus D68. The children who become very ill with enterovirus D68 develop wheezing and difficulty breathing," Pannaraj said.

Children should be kept out of school to prevent spreading the virus, which should be treated with rest and hydration.

Across the state, 14 cases of enterovirus D68 have been confirmed, health officials said Friday.

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