CDC: Enterovirus 68 Confirmed in Seven States, Concern over Emergency Room Overcrowding
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Credit: James Gathany/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(NEW YORK) — The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has confirmed Enterovirus 68 in seven states, with at least 84 individuals infected.
On Thursday, the CDC confirmed the presence of the disease in Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, and Montana. Confirmation of the disease’s presence in a state is helpful in that it allows doctors to more quickly diagnose who is critically ill. The number of cases, however, does not reflect the true spread of the disease, as testing is not done on every child who appears to have the disease.
Among the greatest threats posed by Enterovirus 68 is the flood of patients with even mild symptoms who are overwhelming emergency rooms around the country.
Nancy Burke, an administrator in the Emergency Department at Advocate Christ Children’s Hospital in Oak Lawn, Illinois, said that there has been a jump in the number of people arriving at the emergency room due to fear. The hospital, Burke says, is at full capacity, which strains resources and resource management.
Dr. Mary Anne Jackson, Director of Infectious Diseases at Mercy Children’s Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri, said that she feels the rush of children being brought to the emergency room with Enterovirus 68 symptoms has slowed in recent days.
Many of the children who have been brought to emergency rooms around the nation, hospitals say, do not test positive for the virus.
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