The Arkansas Department of Health is seeking the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's help to test respiratory infections in the state for enterovirus 68, health officials said Monday.
According to data from the CDC, 104 people in 10 states have tested positive for the virus as of Monday.
The virus commonly infects children in fall months, but the strain enterovirus 68 -- discovered this year -- is rare, U.S. Assistant Surgeon General Anne Schuchat said during a news briefing last week.
Dr. Dirk Haselow, state epidemiologist, said about four samples have been sent to the CDC for testing. He said the samples are from cases throughout Arkansas.
The illness can cause fever, runny nose, sneezing and coughing, along with body and muscle aches, according to the CDC. It also can cause wheezing and difficulty breathing. Infants, children and teenagers are more likely to get infected from the virus because they do not have immunity to the virus.
Arkansas Children's Hospital restricted visitor access to patients Monday as respiratory illnesses increased at its Little Rock facility, said Craig Gilliam, hospital director of infection prevention.
Twenty-six patients admitted to the hospital have tested positive for either enterovirus or rhinovirus since Sept. 1, Gilliam said. He said 10 children tested positive during the first two weeks of September last year.
The state does not have a facility to determine whether a patient has enterovirus or rhinovirus. Current state tests also cannot determine whether a virus is caused by a particular virus strain such as enterovirus 68.
Gilliam said three of the 26 cases are being treated in the intensive care unit. Many of the children have been younger than 4, he said.
"It has elevated, in my opinion, from what we saw at this same time last year," Gilliam said.
It is common for the hospital to put visitor restrictions in place at the start of the flu season, Gilliam said. The flu season typically starts in December. He said the hospital decided to begin the restrictions earlier because of the increase in respiratory cases.
The restrictions require that visitors must be older than 12 to visit patients in the intensive care unit and the oncology department, Gilliam said.
Haselow said it is important for the public to remember that no one has died from this illness nationally. He said it also is more common in patients who have other conditions such as asthma.
"We are really wanting people to not be overly worried about this," Haselow said.
There is no vaccine for the illness. Haselow said the best way to avoid it is by practicing proper sanitation procedures such as washing hands with soap and cleaning surfaces. He also suggested staying home when sick and covering your mouth and nose when coughing.
Haselow said he is unaware of any clusters of illness in the state. He said it will take at least a week before the state will receive test results back from the CDC.
NW News on 09/16/2014