Hospital officials say the presence of a suspected respiratory virus in Windsor may be on the rise.
A Windsor Regional Hospital spokesperson says 20 children have now been admitted with suspected cases of the enterovirus. That’s up from 11 suspected cases on Monday.
Tests are now being done to determine if these cases are in fact the enterovirus, but it could be weeks before results are known.
Symptoms include fever, runt nose, sneezing, cough and body and muscle aches. More severe symptoms include difficulty breathing and wheezing, particularly in children diagnosed with asthma.
Restrictions have been implemented at the hospital that allows only people 18 years and older at the paediatric unit entrance.
The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit says these symptoms are common at this time of year but not as severe. With school back in, officials say there is more potential for contact and that may be why there is an increase in patients showing up at the hospital.
Although not confirmed yet locally, there has been a sudden increase in paediatric patients stateside and some provinces in this country with Non-Polio Enterovirus Infection also known as Enterovirus D68, or EV-D68.
For a fact sheet on the virus please visit: http://www.cdc.gov/non-polio-enterovirus/about/ev-d68.html
Health officials remind parents and caregivers to use best practices like:
• if your child, or children are sick do NOT send to school to avoid spreading the illness to others;
• outside of school try to avoid large crowds;
• wash hands and surfaces regularly;
• cover mouth and face when sneezing;
• if child not feeling well with respiratory issues please take to family physician or in an emergency to the emergency department. This is especially applicable to children with previous respiratory issues like asthma.
There is no vaccine for the virus, and children with asthma and under six months of age are more susceptible.
The health unit also notes that there have been no deaths to date during the recent outbreak in the U.S.
