Rep. DeLauro, school & medical staff to hold enterovirus briefing

NEW HAVEN, CT (WFSB) -

With a confirmed case of enterovirus-68 in Connecticut and potential cases still awaiting test results, doctors and schools have been getting flooded with calls and questions.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro, school officials and health experts held an informational briefing Monday.

"People need to take all the normal precautions they would take against the flu or any other virus," DeLauro said. "This is not a cause for panic, but we are seeing higher incidents of enterovirus this year and it can be particularly dangerous for children with asthma. So people need to have the facts and the tools to recognize the symptoms. I want to urge people to take all the normal precautions they would take against the flu or any other virus. If your children have trouble breathing or severe symptoms, contact a health professional."

The goal of the event was to answer questions like what to look for and how to treat the respiratory illness, then get the answers to school nurses so they can spot symptoms and pass information to parents.

Doctors said the virus typically affects children with asthma the most. They could experience wheezing, trouble breathing and blueness in the face. For most, the symptoms are similar to that of the common cold with a runny nose, coughing, sneezing and body aches.

If a child comes down with it, in most cases, they might not even know it.

"Couple of days they'll get better, and they - the parents - won't even know," said Dr. Richard Uluski, a pediatrician. "They'll go to school, have fun."

Parents and doctors alike have been cautions since health officials confirmed EV-68 at Yale-New Haven Children's Hospital last week.

Eyewitness News was told a 6-year-old with symptoms came to the hospital and was treated and released. It's the only confirmed case in the state so far, but a number of hospitals are still waiting to see if there will be more.

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Rep. DeLauro, school & medical staff to hold enterovirus briefing

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