Parents Concerned Over Enterovirus D-68 Case in Riverside County

Concern over the death of a young New Jersey boy from Enterovirus D-68, which has also been linked to limb paralysis in young victims. The boy is the first confirmed death from the virus alone.

This comes after health officials on Friday announced that a teenager in western Riverside County is recovering from the rapidly spreading virus. All 3 school districts in the Coachella Valley say they’re monitoring the situation, but are asking parents and students to take extra precautions.

A mother of 3, Joanna Maruszewska deals with sick children on a regular basis, most frequently the common cold. Yet, it’s never crossed her mind, what may seem like regular symptoms, could be a sign of something more serious.

“I think it’s very scary, especially having 3 little kids, you do everything you need to do as a parent to prevent spread of diseases, but still, their out there and we don’t really know what cause some of them,” she said.

She’s nervous about Enterovirus D-68, the mysterious illness attacking hundreds of children in 38 states. Experts not exactly sure what’s causing it.

“I don’t think they’ll find out anytime soon, so that’s really scary cause we already lost one kid in the United States,” Maruszewska said.

In California alone, there are 14 confirmed cases of Enterovirus 68, one of them here in Riverside County. The patient between 13 and 18-years-old is recovering, but younger children appear more at risk, especially those with breathing conditions such as asthma.

A California lab discovered the virus for the first time in 1962, when four children developed the respiratory illness. The virus typically peaks during the months of July, August and September, causing symptoms of a common cold.

They include fever, coughing, sneezing, body aches and occasionally a rash. But in the case of the young New Jersey boy who died from the virus, health officials say he didn’t show any of the cold-like symptoms before his death.

Maruszewska says she used to not believe in vaccinations, but because of all the viruses and diseases going around, she changed her mind.

“Also, I think because the kids are a little germ factories and they meet each other at the playground and at the park, and I think that if we’re all vaccinated, there’s better chances of not spreading,” she said.

While there is no treatment or vaccine for Enterovirus, you can prevent it by washing hands, disinfecting surfaces, covering your mouth when sneezing…

“And whenever my kids are sick, I will not send them to school, or I will not send them to the playground or to the birthday parties, because they are just going to distribute the germs, whatever is ours,” Maruszewska said.