Public health officials from Alberta, Canada are now conducting tests on a number of children that have reportedly become sick over the past few days. Authorities are concerned that these children could have contracted the same type of virus that has affected thousands of other children in the United States, underlining the possibility that the Enterovirus 68 strain may have already crossed the border.
According to the latest report, there are already 18 children in different parts of the country that have contracted the D-68 virus including Calgary, Edmonton, and other areas. At the moment, health officials still have not confirmed whether or not this virus is of the same strain as the one that is causing an outbreak in several states within the United States. Results will be released after the tests have been completed.
AHS Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. James Talbot said that, "18 cases out of 100 that we have looked at so far are D-68. We don't know if it is the same D- 68 that is described in the US. We are working with the public health lab and the national lab to determine whether that is the case." Dr. Talbot said that the D -68 strain from the enterovirus family is able to cause acute symptoms such as loss of appetite, troubled breathing, and wheezing. It poses a particular risk to children who already have compromised respiratory health, such as those with asthma. Once they contract the virus, children who are affected with the condition will have to be hospitalized to receive the proper medical attention.
At the moment there is no vaccine to prevent the infection, nor are there any specific treatments that could be used, except for taking over-the-counter medications that can manage the obvious symptoms such as fever and body aches and pains. Health officials are concerned because this type of disease spreads very much like the common cold and can be transmitted through surface contact, which is how so many children are getting sick. With these traits, health officials in Ontario are concerned that they may soon be dealing with an outbreak of the D-68 virus, with more children possibly being brought into hospitals for treatment.
