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<p><a href=“Unidentified Respiratory Virus Likely to Hit Kids Across Country - ABC News”>http://abcnews.go.com/Health/unidentified-respiratory-virus-hit-kids-country/story?id=25334106</a></p>
<p>I was just reading an article about this. As a teacher at an elementary school with 600 students, it gets my attention.</p>
<p>Just finished watching the little snippet about this on CNN. It sounds like a nasty one, and since this is a virus, there are no drugs to kill the bugger.</p>
<p>Another reason to encourage getting the flu shot. While the shot won’t prevent this virus, you’re more susceptible when you’re already sick. </p>
<p>Please, keep your kids home when they’re sick and stay home when YOU’RE sick. I hate our system that makes people feel guilty for taking time off to take care of themselves. </p>
<p>Wow–scary! Am sure it can spread on airplanes as well. Stay healthy, everyone! So many people have asthma and are especially susceptible.</p>
<p>This is frightening. When can we start getting flu shots this year? Will they help?</p>
<p>^ I just got my flu shot last week when I had my annual physical. </p>
<p>So far, it appears to have only afflicted children and I haven’t read any reports of adults with this particular virus. It’s hard to know whether the flu shot will help but I suspect it COULD and won’t hurt. I was able to get my flu shot a few weeks ago at our local CVS; H was able to get the high dose flu vaccine, as he is over 65… My internist isn’t getting his vaccine for another month or longer and I didn’t want to wait, as I prefer to have my vaccines a few weeks before any plane flights and HI tends to get flu early.</p>
<p>Flu and this mystery virus are both viruses. If you are healthy and not fighting the flu, you are probably less likely to get a virus or other infection than you would be if you are having to fight off the flu AND possibly this virus. </p>
<p>I don’t know this for a fact, but the “news” of this virus makes me think it is not included in this years shot. We (family) all had a bad chest virus last spring and got it again this summer. The second time was less severe than the first time, but both times it made us sick for 3 weeks. Sudden onset of chest symptoms + normal cold symptoms. I am wondering if this is the same thing?</p>
<p>just read an article about this virus , now being labeled EV-D68 . What I didn’t see was whether or not adults are at risk , and where the virus originated…like it was with H1N1 a few years back . Both my daughter and I got that , but my husband didn’t. It was the sickest either of us have been in a very long time, so yeah, this is scary to me , since I am asthmatic</p>
<p>If it’s EV-D68 - then isn’t this an enterovirus, and not an influenza virus? If it’s enterovirus, I don’t think it will be covered in the current flu vaccine that targets influenza viruses.</p>
<p>I thought that enterovirus was more like a cold (rhinovirus), which of course has no vaccine and no treatment.</p>
<p>^^^ exactly what I’ve read. Not an influenza virus, so no vaccine.</p>
<p>scout is exactly right. This is essentially like a very bad cold. </p>
<p>Though the symptoms sound like what I went through the times that I have had pneumonia. </p>
<p>I got my flu shot last year at the end of August at a drug store but my doctor told me I should have waited until late September or early October or it likely wouldn’t protect me through the whole winter season. I’m taking her advice and waiting a bit longer this year. </p>
<p>Apparently kids with asthma are most at risk.</p>
<p>Just read an update from a good sized pediatric office here in town. They scheduled 90 sick calls within the forst hour of opening this morning. Asking people to keep kids home unless they are having trouble breathing and encouraging patients with non-life threatening appointments like wart removal (for example) to consider postponing appts so that they can accommodate the onslaught of sick calls. </p>
<p>abasket, are you in the midwest?</p>
<p>Yes, Ohio.</p>
<p>Enteroviruses cause a lot of summer and end-of-summer colds. The virulence and worrisome cases with at-risk kids (kids with asthma) is bad, but so far the mortality rate has been zero, which is heartening. Influenza usually has a non-insignificant mortality rate, usually with the elderly and people with underlying lung issues (like kids with asthma). So though this virus is worrisome, and I expect a long and exhausting few weeks in the office if it gets to our part of the country, so far, at least, I do not think we should panic. The usual-- really vigilant handwashing, good nutrition, adequate sleep, and staying home or keeping kids home if they’re ill-- will be the best way to fight this as the CDC figures looks for other epidemiologic or containment clues. </p>
<p>I have a friend who works in the pediatric unit here at the U of M hospital. I asked her about this today and she said that they’ve been put on “alert” but as far as she knows, no signs of it yet around here. </p>