DETROIT — A 21-month-old girl died Friday of enterovirus D68 that has caused severe respiratory illness across the country, state health officials said Saturday.
The toddler, Madeline Reid, had been on life support since mid-September and had been transferred to Children's Hospital of Michigan from Detroit Medical Center on Sept. 21 for additional care.
The virus, which is especially dangerous for children, has been identified in 45 states.
"It is never easy to lose a child and our entire health care team is deeply saddened by this family's loss and mourns with them through this very difficult time," said Dr. Rudolph Valentini, chief medical officer for Children's Hospital of Michigan, in a statement released Saturday.
The hospital said the family has asked that their privacy be respected as they grieve.
A New Jersey state medical examiner said last week that a 4-year-old boy died of the virus, and the CDC says five people infected with the virus have died, but it's not clear what role the virus played. The CDC said in a release this week that the virus has sickened 691 people in 46 states and Washington, D.C.
Enterovirus D68 can cause flu-like symptoms and respiratory problems. The virus can be spread through coughing, sneezing and contact with contaminated surfaces. There is no vaccine or specific treatment.
As of early October, there had been at least 25 confirmed cases in Michigan.
Doctors and researchers are working hard to try to control the disease. Catching signs and symptoms early is key to controlling disease outbreak.
Researchers at the University of Michigan are hoping a new Web-based tracking system will help combat disease outbreaks among young students. They were scheduled to present the system Saturday at the American Academy of Pediatrics national conference in San Diego.
"For example, if certain child care centers are reporting the beginning of stomach flu (vomiting and diarrhea), other centers can start taking steps to thoroughly clean to kill any viruses before symptoms occur or before a major outbreak takes place," says Andrew Hashikawa, a pediatric emergency physician at the University of Michigan's C.S. Mott Children's Hospital, in a news release.
Children under age 5 generally become sick earlier and more frequently than school-aged children and adults because their immune systems are underdeveloped. Young children often are responsible for spreading viruses to the rest of the community.
Public health departments have found that school absenteeism as a marker for illness was imprecise, delayed, and unavailable during summer and winter breaks.
"However, child care or preschool absences are typically more likely to be associated with illness and most young children continue to need child care for most of the year," said Hashikawa, a member of the U-M Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation.
Most public health departments do not electronically track influenza or stomach illnesses in preschools and child care centers settings.
"Most illness reporting methods used by many public health departments are slow, paper-based and inefficient," says Hashikawa.
In the U-M system, data is entered on illness type and symptoms in seven categories commonly seen in preschoolers: fever, influenza-like illness, pink eye, stomach illnesses (gastroenteritis), cold or respiratory symptoms, ear infections and rash. They also entered the age range of the ill child, daily attendance at their center, and action taken.
Researchers send data electronically to the public health department weekly or more frequently if spikes in illness cases are seen.
"Preliminary data suggest that using the online biosurveillance in child care centers and preschools gives us an earlier detection and warning system because the younger children appeared to become sick first compared to middle school and high school aged children within the community," says Hashikawa.
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