Sick Kids confirms case of enterovirus D68
The Hospital for Sick Children has confirmed a case of enterovirus D68, but it is not immediately clear if it is the first such confirmed case in Toronto.
The hospital told CBC News on Wednesday that 12 patients had been tested recently, but only one had the cold-causing bug.
Within Ontario, D68 cases have previously been confirmed in Hamilton, Windsor and Ottawa.
The virus has recently made headlines for making some children seriously ill in Canada and in the United States.
Most children who are infected by the virus suffer only mild symptoms, which may include sneezing, coughing and a runny nose. But some have ended up with more serious problems.
Dr. Dick Zoutman, an infectious disease expert at Queen's University in Kingston, Ont., recently told CBC News that parents should be seeking assistance from a doctor or an emergency department if their children develop a respiratory illness.
If children are wheezing, breathing fast or experiencing shortness of breath, or coughing continuously, these symptoms would particularly require a doctor's attention.
"A significant proportion of these children are having difficulties needing extra oxygen, fluids and a significant number are ending up in intensive care units and so we want to make sure that those symptoms are picked up early," he said.
"A lot of people wheeze when they get a respiratory infection. They get their puffer, everything settles down. Well that's reassuring, But if it's not settling down or you’re needing to do that frequently, then you need to talk to your doctor or the emergency department."