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The number of people with confirmed enterovirus D68 in B.C. has risen to eight – including one child and one young adult with symptoms of paralysis.
The BC Centre for Disease Control released an update Tuesday evening, disclosing that one person aged 5-10 years, and one person aged 15-20, have laboratory-confirmed cases of the respiratory illnesses and gone on to develop “paralytic symptoms”.
The two cases involving paralysis are several hundred kilometres apart, but the Centre for Disease Control cautions that there could be more to come.
READ MORE: Enterovirus D68: Where is it in Canada?
“With the return to school, it is possible there will be an upswing. We’ve not seen that here yet, so we’re monitoring here,” said Danuta Skowronski with the BC Centre for Disease Control.
“Given that the U.S. is more recently confirming some paralysis findings in their patients, it was pertinent to us to share the most recent information from British Columbia.”
According to the centre, “the younger child presented with a 5-day history of fever, cough, rhinorrhea and congestion. Household members, both adult and pediatric, had similar cold-like symptoms. Two days prior to admission, the child experienced headache and neck pain radiating to the left shoulder, worsened by coughing. The child developed sudden onset of left arm weakness.”
The child has had no improvement in neurological symptoms in the month since entering the hospital.
EV-D68 began spreading across North America earlier months, with dozens of reported cases across Canada.
There is no clear link between EV-D68 infections and paralysis, but Skowronski encouraged anyone exhibiting symptoms to visit their doctor immediately.
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