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☆ Enterovirus D68: What to know about the virus that could lead to paralysis in kids
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-23 | by ( Faye Chiu | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Rates of enterovirus D68 infections are on the rise across the United States, according to the nonprofit WastewaterSCAN network. This common virus can lead to a rare but serious polio-like complication known as acute flaccid myelitis. Dr. Leana Wen: Enterovirus D68 is part of a group of more than 100 non-polio enteroviruses. CNN: What can you tell us about acute flaccid myelitis, the rare but dangerous complication that can result from enterovirus D68 infection? CNN: How likely is it that enterovirus D68 infection will result in acute flaccid myelitis?

Persons: Leana Wen, Wen, myelitis Organizations: CNN, George Washington University, US Centers for Disease Control, CDC Locations: United States

☆ Fact Check-WHO did not link mother’s COVID shots to newborn heart problems
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The World Health Organization has not released any statement saying that vaccination against COVID is linked to babies being born with heart problems, contrary to social media posts claiming the WHO “admitted” that the vaccine leads to “severe heart defects” in neonates. Some social media accounts are sharing the claim by screenshotting an article headline, which reads: “WHO admits that fully jabbed moms are giving birth to babies with severe heart defects” here and here . The actual WHO and UKHSA reports cited - (here) and (here) - make no reference to COVID vaccines, nor does the article itself offer any evidence of a link between pregnant women being vaccinated and heart defects in their newborns, as suggested in its headline. “I can confirm that WHO has not said that fully vaccinated women give ‘birth to babies with severe heart defects’,” a WHO spokesperson told Reuters via email. The World Health Organization (WHO) has not said that fully vaccinated women give “birth to babies with severe heart defects”.

Persons: WHO “, ”, screenshotting, enteroviral myocarditis, Victoria Male, Read Organizations: World Health Organization, COVID, WHO, UK Health Security Agency, Reuters, Imperial College London Locations: neonates

☆ How to stay healthy this summer, according to an expert
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Katia Hetter | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Stay healthy so you can have fun all summer with family and friends. Maskot/Getty ImagesCNN: What should people consider as they aim to have fun and stay healthy this summer? How can people prevent Lyme disease, and why is this important? Wen: Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne disease in the United States. Short-term, Lyme disease manifests as muscle aches, joint pain, fever, rash and headaches.

Persons: they’ve, Leana Wen, Wen, Maskot, Lyme, don’t, enteroviruses, Enteroviruses Organizations: CNN, George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, Getty, US Centers for Disease Control Locations: Lyme, enterovirus, United States, Covid

The rise comes as other respiratory viruses, including respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, are also spreading early and rapidly. Common winter viruses tend to peak in December and January — not October and November — though it's unclear how the early and intense spread of respiratory viruses will ultimately play out this season. It's the first time since the beginning of the Covid pandemic that run-of-the-mill respiratory viruses are again circulating widely. Other respiratory viruses, including rhinoviruses and enteroviruses, are also circulating widely, and could account for some of those illnesses. "We'll probably start seeing cases rise on the West Coast in the coming weeks," said Dr. Meredith McMorrow, a pediatrician and team lead for Enhanced Surveillance Platforms at the CDC.

An unseasonal early surge of respiratory viruses among babies and toddlers has caught doctors off guard and worried about the coming months. "There is no one virus that's causing pediatric respiratory viruses this fall," said Dr. Deanna Behrens, a pediatric critical care physician at Advocate Children's Hospital in suburban Chicago. CDCWhile RSV is inundating many children's hospitals, the number of pediatric flu cases is also increasing. But the fact that kids are testing positive for multiple respiratory viruses at once can blur the signs of any one virus. In addition to RSV, Combs expects the number of pediatric flu illnesses to double in the coming weeks.

As soon as they saw her vitals, the staff at UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital in Cleveland knew they had to admit Raegan, her mom said. “I’m glad I didn’t wait.”There’s now an “unprecedented” rise in RSV cases among children in the US, some doctors tell CNN. In Texas, where RSV cases usually spike in December or January, the emergency department at Cook Children’s in Fort Worth and its urgent cares are seeing a significant number of RSV cases. Nearly half the ICU is filled with RSV cases, hospital spokesperson Kim Brown said; between October 2 and 8, there were 210 RSV cases at Cook Children’s; a week later, there were 288. RSV symptoms RSV is a common virus, but it can cause serious illness, especially in younger infants and older adults.

☆ Fact Check-Guillain-Barré syndrome, Bell’s palsy, acute flaccid myelitis and transverse myelitis are not polio ‘renamed’
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

Guillain-Barré syndrome, Bell’s palsy, acute flaccid myelitis and transverse myelitis are not polio “renamed”, despite claims posted online. It was NEVER eradicated, it's been renamed several times, Guillian Barre, Bells Palsy, Acute Flaccid Myelitis, Transverse Myelitis... Any neurological disorder has been renamed polio.”A similar post can be found here. Though primarily seen following an acute infection, GBS can also be a rare side effect of vaccination (here). Four medical syndromes with symptoms that can include muscle weakness and paralysis are not “polio renamed”, as claimed on social media. Poliovirus infection, while extremely rare, can lead to some of these syndromes, but the syndromes themselves also have other, more common causes and distinct symptoms.

"Not everybody got flu vaccinated last year, and many people did not get the flu. So that makes us ripe to have potentially a severe flu season." Walensky's warning comes ahead of a CDC report on flu spread expected Friday. Doctors are not required to report each positive flu test to public health officials, so the CDC and others monitor probable flu activity by looking at "influenza-like illnesses." It takes about two weeks after a flu vaccine injection to provide full protection.

Flu cases are already rising in parts of the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The convergence of viruses is hitting health care systems as they're forced to reckon with staffing shortages that worsened during the pandemic. Staffing deficits mean there is little wiggle room to accommodate any additional surges of patients, whether they're sick with Covid, flu or other illness. But as the cold weather sets in and people increasingly gather indoors, Covid cases are expected to rise. The vast majority of Covid cases circulating now are an omicron subvariant, BA.5.

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