Watch CBS News

What You Need To Know About Enterovirus

BOSTON (CBS) -- WBZ-TV's Dr. Mallika Marshall answers the most commonly asked questions about Enterovirus, which has recently spread to New England.

What exactly is Enterovirus?

It's a scary sounding term, but Enteroviruses are a group of viruses that cause respiratory and gastrointestinal infections, and there are more than 100 types. They've been around forever. Today we're talking about Enterovirus D68, and that is specially causing respiratory illness.

Read: DPH advisory on Enterovirus (pdf)

How would you know if you've been infected?

You probably wouldn't. Most people either have no symptoms at all, or they only get mild cold symptoms like a cough or runny nose. We're really only testing kids that are so sick that they need to be in the hospital. 

Most kids will only get cold symptoms, only a small percentage of children get more severe breathing problems like wheezing and shortness of breath. As far as we know, no one has died.

Who is most at risk when it comes to Enterovirus?

We really worry about kids with underlying lung problems, kids with asthma for example. We're asking parents of children with asthma to make sure they have plenty of asthma medication on hand and that their kids are taking their preventative medication likes inhaled steroids every day or as directed by their pediatrician.

What's the best way to protect yourself?

It's age-old advice: Wash your hands frequently, use hand sanitizers and stay away from people with bad colds. If your child develops any significant breathing problems, then you obviously want to get them seen right away.

There is no reason for people to be alarmed. In general, kids are going to do just fine.

MORE LOCAL NEWS FROM CBS BOSTON

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.