Catalunya reports 48 cases of enterovirus A71 in children

AT LEAST 48 children have been affected by an A71 virus outbreak in Catalunya, a potentially fatal condition which causes swelling in the brain just above the top of the spine.

Only two children remain in intensive care and 19 others are on wards, but the rest have been discharged.

The outbreak caused panic among parents in the north-eastern region after a child died in the province of Tarragona in hospital.

But Dr Carlos Rodrigo of Barcelona’s Vall d’Hebrón hospital says the child in question had ‘a very serious strain’, an isolated case of virus D68.

As yet, medics have not been able to fully confirm the deceased young patient did in fact have the so-called enterovirus, given that it was not found in the fluid around the brain, although Dr Rodrigo says diagnosing the D68 version means testing fluids in the pharynx, larynx and faeces.

He says he has contacted all paediatricians in Catalunya to warn them of what they should look out for.

The specialist has also been in touch with every pharmacist in the region to find out whether they have any medication in stock designed to wipe out the virus, but so far, only a handful have some drugs in the early trial stages and they are not yet authorised for human use, even for clinical trials.

"We have never before in Spain seen such an accumulation of so many cases of this strain of enterovirus - although they have been reported in the past in Malaysia, China and even in the US State of Colorado," Dr Rodrigo explains.