Parents put on alert after deadly enterovirus linked to child's death in NSW

[Cass72]

Parents put on alert after deadly enterovirus linked to child's death in NSW

Updated 1 hour 36 minutes ago

The New South Wales Health Department is urging parents to be on the lookout for symptoms of a rare virus that has been linked to the death of a child.

The child was also suffering other infections, and doctors have not confirmed if enterovirus 71 (EV71) caused the death.

Three other young children's deaths in the past six months, including one in the Hunter region, have been linked to EV71.

The Health Department says it cannot reveal where the fourth child is from.

General enterovirus is common in Australia, and often causes hand, foot and mouth disease in children.

The NSW Director of Communicable Diseases, Vicky Sheppeard, says the fatal strain has killed otherwise healthy children, and has different symptoms to general enterovirus.

"The signs of the severe illness are a high fever, children could be quite lethargic or quite irritable, they might show unsteady walking or [appear] off-balance or they might have jerky movements of the limbs," she said.

source: ABC news

[Kazzo]

This is a big topic on facebook I have noticed. So many mummies talking about not letting their LO go to daycare, playgrounds, swimming lessons. They have confirmed a case nearish to me. We only have one daycare/preschool in my town and so far no HFM.

[Dansta]

HFM is running wild in NSW/Vic boarder
DJ had it (as did I ) its hard to control and i know a few kids at kinder have had it.

[Rouge]

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[Phteven]

Surely it is Doctors and other medical professionals who should be put on alert to test for it.
The list of symptoms - fever, lethargy and lack of bodily control should be enough to send any parent to the hospital/Dr.

[Cass72]

Zazou - you would think (hope) those symptoms would be enough to send anyone to the doctor!

[Dansta]

if it starts off like HFM it may not.
when DJ had it he was happy as - after he had an epileptic fit and what looked like a dribble rash (and a temp that spiked then went away) turned out he had HFM - i'd sent him to kinder as his seasure was 48hrs before kinder and he seemed fine. :-/