Students, staff and administrators are reminded to wash their hands frequently to help stop the spread of viruses. The Center for Disease Control reports that an outbreak of Enterovirus D68, a serious respiratory illness currently impacting children, has been reported in several states including Illinois. Building administrators at Mattoon Community Unit School District 2 have been asked to implement “flu” practices of having students wash their hands multiple times throughout the day as well as having everyone learn to “sneeze in their sleeves.” If you sneeze into a tissue, immediately throw away the tissue and wash your hands. Dave Skocy, assistant superintendent for human resources, encouraged families with children showing signs of a respiratory illness to keep them at home to recuperate and allow them to be monitored. “There is no specific treatment for the virus, also called HEV 68, according to a report from MSN. “It was first detected in the United States in 1962 and is somewhat rare. But it can cause severe respiratory problems, and has been linked to neurological problems, and could be fatal in severe cases. No deaths have yet been reported with this outbreak.” Earlier this week, more than 300 cases of serious respiratory illness were reported at a pediatric hospital in Kansas City, Missouri, and 15 percent of those children needed treatment in intensive care, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services from a report from MSN. Hospitals in St. Louis are also seeing a spike in pediatric respiratory illnesses, the department said. “The Center for Disease Control tested specimens taken from the children, and so far has found that 19 of 22 cases in Kansas City and 11 from 14 specimens from Chicago were positive for Enterovirus D68,” according to MSN’s story. Additional information about Enterovirus 68 is available at the Centers For Disease Control website at cdc.gov/non-polio-enterovirus/about/EV-D68.html?s_cid=cdc_homepage_whatsnew_001
Posted on: Thu, 11 Sep 2014 20:03:33 +0000
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