How much should parents be concerned about the parechovirus?

Parechovirus is not a new virus, but it is a recent topic CDC Health Alert This is because the number of infant cases may increase. This virus can cause serious illness in very young babies. So how much do parents need to worry about?

What is Parechovirus?

“Parechovirus infections are common in childhood,” he said. American Academy of Pediatrics In a news article.. Most children are exposed to it before going to kindergarten. Typical symptoms of infants and preschool children are fever, rash, and respiratory symptoms.

The virus can spread through the respiratory and gastrointestinal pathways. (Or, from the point of view of what the child does, it can spread through coughing and sneezing, or by the child putting traces of feces in his mouth and putting something in his mouth.) The virus can spread in the summer. Most common in the fall.

Parechovirus is usually just one of many mysterious viruses that children catch and get over quickly.But in young babies, some viruses can cause very serious illness, and the parechovirus is one of them... CDC says that, “Infants under 3 months, especially those under 1 month, can develop serious illnesses such as sepsis, seizures, meningitis or meningoencephalitis.”

why Parechovirus In news?

The CDC has noticed several cases of parechovirus in recent months, and all cases tested were of the type known as PeV-A3, which tended to cause more serious symptoms than other strains. But does this mean that the virus is more common than usual, or does it mean that the case is more serious than usual? I do not understand.

“There is currently no systematic monitoring of PeVs. [parechoviruses] In the United States, it is not clear how the number of PeV cases reported in 2022 will be compared to the previous season, “CDC said. Also, because children are not regularly tested for the parechovirus, it is not known how many cases occur in children who are mildly ill or who are infected with the virus without getting sick at all. ..

How Do you know if my child is infected with the parechovirus?

If your child has mild symptoms, you may not know if it is a parechovirus. Remember that this is a common childhood virus.Claire Bocchini as an infectious disease specialist Told USA Today“Men Children who are mildly ill and “ok” do not test everything. It is very expensive and does not change management. (Management, like How to deal with the virus. If the result is to keep the child comfortable and wait for it, it doesn’t really matter which virus it is. )

It’s a different story from babies. According to the CDC warning, the parechovirus is of particular concern among children under the age of three months and can be fatal. However, the health warnings they issued are aimed at donors, not parents.The message essentially informs the doctor that the parechovirus should be included in the list of possibilities when thinking about what is wrong with a serious illness. child..

“In that age group, babies with fever need to be evaluated, which includes blood tests for at least 60 days,” said Heather Giambo, a pediatric emergency physician in New York City. They emphasized that parents should seek medical care for young children with a fever, regardless of the suspicious cause.In these early months of life, the American Academy of Pediatrics considers Temperature of 100.4 To have a fever that deserves immediate treatment.