Australia is in the grip of an emerging
viral disease that affects babies and can lead to intensive care
admissions, according to the http://dx.doi.org/10.5694/mja18.00149" rel="nofollow - Medical Journal of Australia .
A
team of scientists led by Allen Cheng, of the Infection Prevention and
Healthcare Epidemiology Unit at Melbourne’s Monash University, reveal
that a little-known pathogen called https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/parechovirus" rel="nofollow - human parechovirus has now officially caused epidemics every two years since 2013.
There
are 17 different types of parechovirus, of which three – known as
HPeV1, 3 and 6 – are associated with humans. Most infections result in
no or mild symptoms, such as gastroenteritis and rash, but those caused
by HPeV3 are associated with more severe outcomes and have been the
drivers behind outbreaks in 2013-14, 2015-16 and now 2017-18.
Children
aged up to six months are the primary victims. Symptoms include
meningoencephalitis, seizures and septic shock. There are no effective
treatments against the virus itself, and hospital care is directed at
management of immediate symptoms and complications.
“It is now
recognised as a leading cause of sepsis-like illness and central nervous
system infection, particularly in young infants,” write the authors.
Australia
is currently experiencing the third epidemic of the disease. In
December 2017, more than 200 infants were hospitalised with HPeV3
infection. Cheng and his colleagues report that infants under three
months are at high risk, with those under 28 days and premature births
in the most danger of complications.
https://cosmosmagazine.com/biology/virus-host-relationships-stretch-back-hundreds-of-millions-of-years" rel="nofollow">
https://cosmosmagazine.com/biology/virus-host-relationships-stretch-back-hundreds-of-millions-of-years" rel="nofollow -
Virus-host relationships stretch back hundreds of millions of years
https://cosmosmagazine.com/topics/biology" rel="nofollow - Biology
Between 20 and 50% of infants hospitalised required intensive care.
Cheng’s
team recommend preventative parenting when a child falls ill to help
halt the spread of parechovirus. “Hand hygiene, cough etiquette and
staying away from childcare and school while unwell should be
emphasised,” they write.
They also strongly advise long periods of follow-up monitoring after recovery.
“Because
of the evidence of adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes following severe
HPeV infection, we recommend that all children hospitalised with HPeV
infection should be followed up by a paediatrician at least until school
entry, and preferably afterwards, to monitor development and learning,
and manage complications including seizures,” they conclude.
Source: https://cosmosmagazine.com/biology/warning-issued-on-child-virus" rel="nofollow - https://cosmosmagazine.com/biology/warning-issued-on-child-virus