Second child dies of enterovirus sweeping U.S.
A 21-month-old girl who tested positive for the enterovirus D68 in Michigan died after a monthlong battle with the respiratory illness, marking the second time a child succumbed to the virus in the U.S. last week, health officials said.
Madeline Reid died at Children’s Hospital of Michigan in Detroit on Friday afternoon, according to Elise Bennett, a spokeswoman for the facility.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the young girl was suffering from enterovirus when she was admitted to the hospital on Sept. 21, Bennett told the Los Angeles Times.
“It is never easy to lose a child, and our entire health care team at the Children’s Hospital of Michigan is deeply saddened by this family’s loss and mourns with them during this very difficult time,” Dr. Rudolph Valenti, the hospital’s chief medical officer, said in a statement.
The CDC believes an enterovirus outbreak began in the U.S. in mid-August.
Enterovirus infections are often mild, so they usually go undetected. The virus has been associated, rarely, with severe breathing troubles and, even more rarely, with neurological symptoms, including polio-like muscle weakness. Children with asthma have been particularly susceptible.
A 4-year-old boy in New Jersey also died after contracting the illness earlier this month.