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Last updated on Friday, September 12, 2014
(INDIANAPOLIS) - A three-year-old Lafayette girl is in quarantine at IU Health Arnett Hospital after being diagnosed with Enterovirus.
The girl's mother says her daughter was officially diagnosed with Enterovirus meningitis.
At this point it isn't clear if the girl was diagnosed with the specific type of Enterovirus that has sickened about 1,000 other children in the United States. Tests will take a few days to confirm if it's the Enterovirus 68 strain that has been reported in other states.
Her mother, Shannon Walker, tells Eyewitness News her daughter became sick on Monday, and within a matter of hours, ran an elevated fever and couldn't keep hear head up.
"It went from one to 10 on the scale of dangerous," Walker said Wednesday.
Test after test at the doctor's office on little Eva came back fine, all while her health got worse.
"She's a really energetic three-year-old. She was like limp dead body weight and so we knew this just was not the flu," Walker said.
Finally a hospital test revealed the Enterovirus.
"You don't think all those viruses are going to come and touch your family and be as strong as they are, but when it hits, it hits so fast," Walker said.
There's no vaccine for it.
Doctors recommend frequent hand washing to avoid it.
The good news for Eva is that she started to turn the corner Wednesday.
"She didn't even talk for two days. [Now] she has probably drank all of the apple juice in the hospital and she is eating cookies and graham crackers and Tootsie Roll's just like her old self," Walker said.
Enteroviruses are very common, with between 10 to 15 million cases occurring in the United States each year. Three people in northern Indiana have recently tested positive for Enterovirus/rhinovirus (rhinovirus is the common cold) by the State Laboratory. The health department says further testing is needed to determine if the cases are EV-D68. There are more than 100 types of Enteroviruses.
Health officials say the best protection is thorough hand-washing, covering your cough (into the elbow, not the hand) and staying home when you're sick.
The State Health Department is working with local health departments and hospitals to conduct surveillance for additional cases of Enterovirus. The Centers for Disease Control and Protection (CDC) is assisting the State with testing for the EV-D68 strain.
About EV-D68
Typically, EV-D68 causes upper respiratory illness, such as low-grade fever, cough, runny nose, sneezing and body/muscle aches. Infected individuals generally recover on their own without incident by treating symptoms. However, some individuals, especially those with weakened immune systems or underlying medical conditions, such as asthma, may experience severe complications and require hospitalization with supportive therapy.
Enteroviruses, including EV-D68, are spread through close contact with infected people. To protect you and your family from becoming infected with Enterovirus or other illnesses, follow the three C's:
The Centers For Disease Control report the following information:
Symptoms
EV-D68 has been reported to cause mild to severe respiratory illness. However, the full spectrum of EV-D68 illness is not well-defined.
Transmission
EV-D68 is not frequently identified, so it is less studied and the ways it spreads are not as well-understood as other enteroviruses. EV-D68 causes respiratory illness, and the virus can be found in respiratory secretions such as saliva, nasal mucus, or sputum. The virus likely spreads from person to person when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or touches contaminated surfaces.
Treatment
There is no specific treatment for EV-D68 infections.
Many infections will be mild and self-limited, requiring only treatment of the symptoms.
Some people with severe respiratory illness caused by EV-D68 may need to be hospitalized and receive intensive supportive therapy.
No antiviral medications are currently available for treating of EV-D68 infections.
Prevention
There are no vaccines for preventing EV-D68 infections.
You can help protect yourself from respiratory illnesses by following these steps:
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