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Child with Enterovirus 68 dies in Rhode Island

A child suffering from Enterovirus 68 and a staph infection died in Rhode Island.
CDC sets threat levels for drug-resistant bacteria

(CNN) — A child with a staph infection and enterovirus D68 has died in Rhode Island, the state’s health department said Wednesday.

The child died last week. Infection by both staph bacteria and an enterovirus is a “rare combination,” health officials say, that can cause very severe illnesses in children and adults.

“Only a very small portion of people who contract EV-D68 will experience problems beyond a runny nose and a low grade fever,” the Rhode Island Department of Health said in a statement. “Most viruses produce mild illnesses from which people are able to recover.”

It is unclear what role the virus played in the child’s death. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also has detected enterovirus D68 in samples from patients who died recently in other states, the health department said, but specific details on those cases have not been made public.

This year, enterovirus D68 has been sending more children than usual to the hospital with severe respiratory illnesses. It seems to be most affecting children with a history of asthma or breathing problems. As of Wednesday, the CDC had confirmed 472 cases in 41 states.

The virus may also be linked to a small number of cases of a mysterious neurologic illness seen in Colorado, Boston and Michigan. Doctors in Colorado spotted it first — a group of 10 children hospitalized with limb weakness, cranial nerve dysfunction and abnormalities in their spinal gray matter. Doctors at Boston Children’s Hospital have since identified four patients with the same symptoms. And a child in Washtenaw County, Michigan, also developed partial paralysis in the lower limbs after being hospitalized with the virus, the Michigan Department of Community Health said Wednesday.

Staphylococcus aureus is a type of bacteria that commonly causes skin infections, pneumonia and blood poisoning. Most staph infections are easily treated with antibiotics, according to the National Institutes of Health, but some strains of the bacteria are resistant to these medications, making them harder to treat.

Antibiotic-resistant infections has been a big public health issue the past few years. In September, President Obama signed an executive order establishing a new interagency task force charged with developing a national strategy to combat these dangerous bacteria strains.

The Rhode Island Department of Health recommends parents and children follow these steps to prevention infection:

* Wash hands often with soap and warm water five or six times a day for at least 20 seconds.

* Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.

* Make sure your child is taking asthma medications as prescribed.

* Disinfect toys, doorknobs, phones, computers and other surfaces often.

* Avoid close contact and sharing cups or eating utensils with people who are sick.

* Stay home if you are sick.

* Seek medical attention right away if your child is having trouble breathing.

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