Enteroviruses
child; paralysis; polio; hand; foot; diabetes; enterovirus; infectious; disease; mouth; enterovirus 71; cold; flu; ;
Contents
Enteroviruses are the second most common group of viruses that cause illness in humans (the only group that is more common is the group that causes the 'common cold'). Very rarely some children with enterovirus infections will become paralysed (muscles not be able to be moved) after an enterovirus infection. The enteroviruses include 3 different polioviruses, and 63 other non-polio viruses (including coxsackie viruses and echoviruses).
Symptoms of enteroviruses
- There are many different enteroviruses, which can have different effects. The polio viruses are one group of the enteroviruses.
- Most people who are infected with an enterovirus are not sick at all.
- If a person does become sick, the symptoms will usually be either like a mild 'cold' or a flu like illness with fever, muscle aches, or an illness with a rash (like hand, foot and mouth disease).
- Very rarely, a person may develop an illness that affects the heart or brain or can cause paralysis.
- Babies, children and young adolescents are more likely to get an enterovirus infection. Adults will have already had many of the infections, and they do not catch them a second time.
How are enteroviruses spread?
- Enteroviruses can be found in the saliva, sputum (spit) and nasal mucous (from a runny nose), and also faeces (poo) of an infected person.
- They can be spread to another person when someone coughs or sneezes, or they can be spread when cups are shared, or people touch a surface that has the virus on it, and then touch their mouths.
- They can also be spread by contact with infected poo.
- Since most people with an enterovirus infection will either have no symptoms or a mild illness, and will probably not stop their normal activities, it is not possible to protect others totally from these infections.
- Careful hygiene will help, as will keeping sick children home from child care or school and staying away from sick people.
- Children in child care centres will be particularly 'at risk' from enterovirus infections, however they are then less likely to get the infections when they are older, because they will have already had them.
- No vaccine is available for the non-polio enteroviruses.
- Use of the polio vaccines for polio enteroviruses all over the world has meant that polio has been eliminated from many countries (including Australia) and occurs in only a very few countries. The World Health Organisation hopes that within the next few years there will be no people anywhere in the world catching polio.
- In the first half of 1999 the Health Department of Western Australia released a warning that 6 children under the age of 2 years had developed paralysis of muscles following an infection with Enterovirus 71, and another 14 had signs of meningitis.
- They reported that usually there is about 1 case a year of paralysis or viral meningitis from this cause in Western Australia.
- The illnesses of these children had started with several days of fever, followed by symptoms of meningitis (drowsiness and irritability, vomiting and convulsions) or by signs of paralysis such as limp arms or legs and difficulty with breathing.
- While enterovirus 71 can cause hand, foot and mouth disease, none of the children who had the more serious illnesses had hand, foot and mouth disease.
- There have recently been outbreaks of enterovirus 71 causing paralysis in other countries (including Malaysia, Taiwan and Hong Kong). The last recorded outbreaks in Australia were in 1974 and 1986.
- Spread of these infections is difficult to prevent, but the Western Australian Health authorities suggested that children with hand, foot and mouth disease should be excluded for two weeks after the onset of the rash during the outbreak because it may be being caused by enterovirus 71 rather than the much more common coxsachie virus A16.
- From the information currently available it does not seem likely that many children were affected by paralysis from this 'outbreak'.
- From the literature it appears that some children who experience paralysis may not recover full use of their muscles.
There is no specific treatment for enterovirus 71. The treatment is to manage the symptoms eg rest, lots of drinks, paracetamol for aches and pains. Medical treatment is needed for severe symptoms.
- It is though that enteroviruses may have a role in the development of juvenile onset diabetes (Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus). An infection with an enterovirus may trigger the immune system to act against cells in the pancreas. The immune system usually does not attack cells that belong to its own body, but in some diseases, called autoimmune diseases, the immune system seems to 'see' parts of the body as 'foreign' and destroys them.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 'Hand, foot and mouth disease'
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/revb/enterovirus/hfhf.htm
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 'Non-Polio Enterovirus Infections'
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/revb/enterovirus/non-polio_entero.htm
World Health Organisation 'Polio eradication'
http://www.polioeradication.org/
The information on this site should not be used as an alternative to professional care. If you have a particular problem, see a doctor, or ring the Parent Helpline on 1300 364 100 (local call cost from anywhere in South Australia).
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