Virus EV-D68, which sometimes paralyses kids, is spreading across US: Reports
Representative image of a hospital bed.
Enterovirus D68 (EV-D68), a respiratory virus, is spreading across the United States (US) at an alarming rate, American media reported on Wednesday (Sept 18). The spread of EV-D68 has raised concerns about another possible increase in polio-like illnesses.
A report by NBC News said that wastewater samplesdetected a significant escalation in D68. Speaking to the network, an official from Wastewater Scan (a non-profit wastewater monitoring network) said, "We are detecting EV-D68 nucleic acids in wastewater across the country now, and the levels are increasing."
What isEV-D68?
According to the Cleveland Clinic,EV-D68 is a virusthat causes respiratory illness similar to the common cold. The virus sometimes leads to severe breathing issues and outbreaks of neurological disease(acute flaccid myelitis) that causes paralysis.
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Cleveland Clinic said that EV-D68 seemsto be very common. "In fact, most people over the age of 5 have evidence of a previous infection," it added.Symptoms of EV-D68 include stuffy or runny nose, cough, fever, muscle pain, shortness of breath, and diarrhoea.
EV-D68 is contagious and can spread through sneezing or coughing, sharing utensils, and touching contaminated surfaces and objects. Some people infected with the virus develop severe breathing problems or a nervous system disorder called acute flaccid myelitis (AFM).
13 cases of AFM reported so far
The NBC News report said that EV-D68 started causing more serious problems in 2014, when the US, for the first time, saw a spike in AFM. That year, 120 kids were diagnosed.
The report added that though a few dozen cases have been reported every year since then, large waves of AFM have followed an every-other-year pattern, spiking in 2016 (with 153 cases) and 2018 (with 238 cases).
The pattern stopped in 2020 when the US went into lockdown due to Covid. In 2020, only 32 cases of AFM were seen. The spread of D68 picked up again in 2022 as lockdowns were lifted.
So far in 2024, 13 AFM cases have been confirmed, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
(With inputs from agencies)