(LA Times)-

Parents should use common sense — and a healthy dose of soap and water — to prevent serious illnesses from the respiratory virus recently detected in California, experts said this week.

Enterovirus D68 infection has now been confirmed in four children in the state and is expected to appear in more, said state epidemiologist Dr. Gil Chavez.

There is no vaccine to prevent the infection, he said — and in many cases, infected people will never know they have the virus.

If an asthmatic child develops an infection, make sure the infections don’t linger and worsen.
– California state epidemiologist Dr. Gil Chavez, on managing possible enterovirus D68 cases
Enteroviruses are often asymptomatic or cause only mild illnesses similar to a cold.

But the serious EV-D68 cases that worry doctors are essentially bad colds that settle in the chest, restricting airways and causing wheezing and breathing difficulty, said Ventura County public health officer Dr. Robert Levin. Children with asthma are particularly vulnerable to severe symptoms because their lungs are more sensitive, he said.

To slow transmission of this enterovirus and others, the California Department of Public Health recommends, Californians should:

Wash hands frequently — for at least 20 seconds, with soap and water.

Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands or sharing utensils or cups or kissing and hugging people who are sick.

Keep children home from school if they have active symptoms of an infection.

To learn more, head to LATimes.com