Hundreds of children in the U.S. have been sickened by an uncommon virus. It is likely enterovirus 68 also has struck in Canada, but a pediatric expert says there is no cause for panic. Photo: MARTHA IRVINE/The Associated Press file Canada’s public health agency says 18 cases of a severe respiratory illness called enterovirus D68 have been confirmed in Alberta.
It wasn’t immediately clear if the strain found in Alberta is the same one that has hospitalized clusters of children in the United States.
In a statement sent to Postmedia News on Monday night, the federal health agency said the government is “aware of the confirmed EV-D68 (enterovirus D68) cases in Alberta as well as multiple other clusters of mild and severe respiratory illnesses in children in several additional provinces.”
“The cause of the respiratory illnesses in these additional clusters has not yet been identified,” the statement reads.
The agency’s National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg is providing guidance and assisting provinces with additional testing of samples for the EV-D68 subtype.
“The agency is closely monitoring the situation and is in close contact with provinces and territories as well as with U.S. public health officials on this issue,” said the Public Health Agency of Canada.
A public health alert has been sent to more than 4,000 health professionals across the country to remain vigilant for possible enterovirus infections, it added.
Health officials in Windsor, Ont., reported a spike in children admitted to hospital over the weekend with severe respiratory problems and are testing whether any of the infections are a result of EV-D68 — a respiratory illness that has sickened children as young as six weeks old in 10 states.
Alberta Health Services also reported higher-than-usual numbers of respiratory-related admissions to Alberta Children’s Hospital since the end of August. Health officials said it’s not unusual to see cases of enterovirus this time of year — there are 18 confirmed cases in the province.
The virus has been around for decades and caused small clusters of outbreaks in the U.S. four years ago. For reasons that aren’t clear, the current strain appears to be causing more severe illness, especially in children with a history of asthma or other breathing problems. Some children have ended
up in intensive care units on mechanical breathing machines.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, from mid-August to Sept. 15 a total of 104 people in 10 states were confirmed to have EV-D68. There have been no reported deaths.
The cases “are no doubt just the tip of the iceberg,” said Dr. Joan Robinson, chair of the Canadian Paediatric Society’s infectious diseases and immunization committee.
“If we were to test all the enterovirus cases in Canada over the last few weeks, there is no question some of those would be enterovirus D68,” she said.
“That in and of itself is not alarming, because most people who get the virus do not get very sick.
She said parents should not be alarmed because it would be “incredibly unlikely” for the virus to become a pandemic such as influenza.
“Even if we were to get an outbreak somewhere in Canada, it isn’t like one where we would expect hundreds or thousands of kids to be infected, because it just doesn’t spread all that easily from child to child.”
However, doctors need to be aware of EV-D68 “so that when children get admitted with an illness that is unusual — it doesn’t really look like asthma, it doesn’t really look like bacterial or viral pneumonia — we should start testing for, and looking for this virus,” Robinson said.
First identified in California in 1962, EV-D68 is a rare strain from a common family of viruses. “There are probably about 90 different species of enterovirus. This is just one of them,” Robinson said.
The virus spreads from person to person when one who is infected coughs, sneezes or touches contaminated surfaces.
Some people get no symptoms at all. Others develop mild symptoms such as fever, runny nose, sneezing, cough, muscle aches and a rash. Some children develop hand-foot-and-mouth disease — tiny blisters on the palms and soles and especially at the back of the mouth.
Even if a child develops fever, rash or breathing problems, “it’s incredibly unlikely that it actually is this virus,” Robinson said. “There are many other explanations for why their child could be ill.”
There is no vaccine, and no antivirals for EV-D68. “Basic good hand washing is what’s going to prevent the spread of this virus,” Robinson said.
Robinson said a child who has a fever that persists more than a few days, or has any signs of a decreased level of consciousness or trouble breathing, or is lethargic or irritable and not drinking enough to have frequent wet diapers or, if they’re out of diapers, to be urinating as much as usual should be seen by a doctor.
skirkey(at)postmedia.com
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