Virus that can cause polio-like illness in children is spiking in the U.S., data shows
The enterovirus D68 that sometimes paralyzes children is spreading in the U.S., raising worries about a possible rise in polio-like illnesses.
A respiratory virus that sometimes paralyzes children is spreading across the U.S., raising concerns about another possible rise in polio-like illnesses.
Wastewater samples have detected a significant escalation in an enterovirus called D68, which, in rare cases, has been linked to acute flaccid myelitis, or AFM. The illness affects the nervous system and causes severe weakness in the arms and legs. This most often occurs in young children.
“We are detecting EV-D68 nucleic acids in wastewater across the country now, and the levels are increasing,” said Alexandria Boehm, program director of WastewaterSCAN, a nonprofit monitoring network and a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Stanford University.
That’s the first clue to suggest that the nation might see an increase in AFM this year, said Caitlin Rivers, an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security and author of “Crisis Averted: The Hidden Science of Fighting Outbreaks.”
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