New virus that acts like allergies is spreading like wildfire in northeast Ohio

A brand new virus is making the rounds in Northeast Ohio and it's spreading like crazy. Even doctors are getting fooled.

“It's always fun when nature throws you a curve ball,” said Dr. Amy Edwards, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at University Hospitals.　

The weather in Northeast Ohio has been all over the place lately, making for a really bad allergy season.

But on top of that, a highly contagious virus that mimics the same symptoms of allergies is spreading like wildfire.

“I've never seen anything like it before,” noted Dr. Edwards.

Even she was fooled.　

“I have seasonal allergies and I noticed a flare a week and a half ago of what I thought was my regular seasonal allergies, but lo and behold, as I developed a fever, I started to understand that it was not my regular allergies,” Dr. Edwards explained.

Adding to those suspicions, Dr. Edwards says her allergy medicine didn't help. Now her infant daughter is sick with the same symptoms.

And she found out they aren't alone.　

“I was just talking to a colleague of mine whose son is in college and everybody in his freshman dorm has these same symptoms.”　

It is not clear what's causing the virus.

According to Dr. Edwards, the fact that it is spreading so easily means it's probably something new.　

“There doesn't seem to be a lot of immunity to it and I'm case in point,” she said. “Being a physician and being around sick people all the time, I have a lot of natural immunity and I very rarely get sick, but this one's hit me pretty hard.”

The fact that it is acting like allergies means people aren't taking proper steps to keep those germs to themselves.

“It's not going to be easy for the doctor either,” said Dr. Edwards. “If you walk into the doctor and say I'm having an itchy throat and itchy, watery eyes and I'm sneezing and I'm coughing, well, they're very likely to give you some allergy medicine.”

Dr. Edwards says the biggest warning sign for this virus is if you have a fever along with what you think are your allergy symptoms. If that happens and your allergy medicine doesn't help, make sure you are taking precautions to prevent the virus from spreading. Just like with any infection, keep yourself hydrated and get plenty of rest.

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