United States: According to the US wastewater data report, a polio-like virus, which has a tendency to cause paralysis in children and teens, is recently seen in spiked amounts.
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The data from WastewaterSCAN showed that there has been a rise in Enterovirus D68 since August.
The WastewaterSCAN is a national-level survey that researchers from two universities run.
Moreover, the reports from the second week of September showed the virus presence had declined to a “normal” level presence, which experts believe could be an early sign of an outbreak, pahomepage.com reported.
About EV-D68
As per the experts, EV-D68 is part of a family of viruses called enteroviruses, named after the transmission route via the intestines.
The experts point out that they are majorly spread when unwashed hands are involved. However, it could also be spread via respiratory droplets emitted by sneezing or coughing.
Of a similar nature, Polio is also a more severe form of enteroviruses, which otherwise typically cause only mild symptoms.
As experts note, most non-polio enteroviruses, including EV-D68, could cause only mild illnesses related to respiratory organs.
What is AFM?
However, in certain cases, people getting infected by EV-D68 develop a condition called acute flaccid myelitis (AFM), which leads to sudden weakness in limbs, slurred speech, and pain in the limbs and back.
Furthermore, in severe cases, it could also deteriorate into paralysis, including fatal respiratory paralysis, as well as permanent paralysis.
According to the CDC, people of any age could be contracted via EV-D68. As experts say, children and teens are the most vulnerable to the disease, as they have not developed immunity similar to that of adults, as they have gained through enough exposure, pahomepage.com reported.
Researchers have revealed that EV-D68 might have been mutated, causing outbreaks several times every two years. However, the Covid pandemic interrupted the spread of other viruses due to public health measures like social distancing and masking.