Tom Greenwood and Charles E. Ramirez

The Detroit News

Michigan isn’t being spared the nationwide outbreak of enterovirus D68, a severe form of the common cold virus often associated with serious respiratory illness.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has notified state health officials that 25 of 34 patients tested so far are positive for the virus, including a child younger than 1 year of age who is now partially paralyzed.

“We believe this is the first case in Michigan where we’ve seen some of the neurological involvement, some of the limb weakness or paralysis that’s been reported in Colorado,” said Susan Ringler-Cerniglia, a spokeswoman for Washtenaw County Public Health. “So of course we’re working closely with the state as well as the CDC.”

Ringler-Cerniglia said she didn’t have much information about the patient, other than age and the county where the child lives.

She said the child was hospitalized and has since been released, but doctors are providing follow-up care.

The news comes as concerns about the illness causing muscle weakness and temporary paralysis in some cases grow across the country. Doctors in Colorado and Missouri are investigating whether the virus has also caused some children to experience paralysis in their limbs this month.

In Rhode Island, health officials say a child has died from complications from the virus. The child died last week of a staph infection associated with the enterovirus 68 virus, which it called “a very rare combination.”

According to the Michigan Department of Community Health, the state has seen an increase in severe respiratory illnesses in children, some of which have required hospitalization.

While it is unique, the virus is only one of about 100 types of viruses responsible for 10 million to 15 million enterovirus infections in the U.S. each year, most of which produce only mild symptoms of distress.

“They’re very common,” MDCH spokeswoman Angela Minicuci said. “Anyone who says they have a cold probably has a virus. They’re so common that we don’t keep track of the number of cases. But this particular strain has gotten a lot of attention because it can lead to problems for people with asthma, or even to paralysis in rare cases.”

This year’s strain unusual

Dr. Devang Doshi, chief of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, agreed. He said this year’s strain is unusual and seems to cause havoc with people’s underlying health issues, such as asthma in children.

“I think it’s getting more attention this year because of how many people had to be hospitalized,” he said.

According to the MDCH, enteroviruses have been known to be a rare cause of acute neurological disease in children, such as aseptic meningitis, less commonly encephalitis, and rarely acute myelitis and paralysis.

The virus is transmitted through close contact with an infected person, or by touching objects or surfaces that are contaminated with the virus and then touching the mouth, nose, or eyes.

An infection can only be diagnosed through lab tests on specimens from a person’s nose and throat.

“There is no treatment or vaccine for this particular virus,” Minicuci said. “But there are things people should be doing, including washing your hands, cover your mouth when you cough, stay home if you’re showing any symptoms and wipe down the surfaces in a home where people have the virus.”

Other precautions include avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands and avoid kissing, hugging and sharing cups or eating utensils. Also disinfect frequently touched surfaces, such as doorknobs.

Michigan reports first cases

Michigan’s Department of Community Health reported about 11 days ago the state’s first three cases of EV-D68 had been found.

CDC officials and state public health laboratories confirmed a total of 443 people in 40 states and the District of Columbia have been infected by the virus between mid-August and Monday.

Doshi said one silver lining to the outbreak is that most patients appear to make a full recovery.

But the possibility of paralysis adds another layer to the mystery around the virus as it has spread across the nation, and why it has caused such severe illness in so many children.

In Colorado and Missouri, patients showed similar symptoms to other enterovirus patients one to two weeks before developing their paralysis.

At least four of the paralyzed children in Colorado tested positive for D68 through nasal swabs. In Missouri, doctors haven’t been able to confirm the diagnosis with lab testing, and are still investigating to find out whether the patients had this strain of enterovirus or another infection, said Mary Anne Jackson, director of the division of infectious disease at Children’s Mercy Kansas City.

Joyce Oleszek, a pediatric rehabilitation specialist at Children’s Hospital Colorado, said the children in the Denver area hit by the virus have shown a range of symptoms with some unable to move their hand to their mouth while others lost the use of several limbs or had difficulty breathing or swallowing.

There are no cases where the children are completely immobile. It is too early to tell yet if the muscle loss will be permanent, she said.

TGreenwood@detroitnews.com

(313) 222-2345

Bloomberg News and Associated Press contributed.