EV-D68 in KC
Kansas City makes international health news again. This time it’s Enterovirus-D68, a particularly aggressive virus causing kids to get a wheezy cold-like illness.
This nasty virus spread through our city fast and furious a few weeks ago, sending children to doctors offices and ERs in record numbers. Our office was certainly not excluded from this unexpected deluge of coughing kiddos.
The good news is that the number of sick kids in our office is on the significant decline.
In fact, as I sit in the office tonight, waiting for patients to walk-in and be seen; I have open doors and empty rooms.
KC was one of the first communities to see a significant rise in EV-D68 infections. Appropriately, news organizations and public health leaders are widely sharing our experience. They are trying to inform and prepare other areas as this virus begins to spread.
However, as much as sharing this information is important, it is equally important to maintain our collective common sense. Most children are successfully recovering from this infection without a trip to the doc. Their healthy, strong bodies are doing a great job on their own.
Dr. Wendy Sue Swanson, pediatrician blogger at Seattle Mama Doc and author of Mama Doc Medicine, shared a very helpful post to help parents understand EV-D68. Take a minute to get her practical take on what parents need to know.
