A “usually mild” virus that apparently triggers a serious heart condition has resulted in the death of one baby and seven others being admitted to intensive care, report British health officials.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) said it had been notified of an “unusual” spike in inflammation of the heart among newborns in south Wales, who had been infected with an enterovirus over the past year.
While enteroviruses are common and often asymptomatic, they can cause “occasional outbreaks in which an unusually high proportion of patients develop clinical disease, sometimes with serious and fatal consequences – in this instance myocarditis”, the UN health agency said.
Previously, reports The Independent, south Wales had had experienced only two similar cases in six years: yet the 10 months to April saw 10 cases of myocarditis in babies under the age of 28 days who tested positive for enterovirus.
Seven of the babies were treated in ICU, and one died before it could receive specialist treatment. A further five cases have been identified over the same period in the Southwest of England, but no additional information is yet available.
“As there is no vaccine for this virus, control measures during outbreaks are focused on classic hygiene precautions, including frequent hand-washing and disinfection of soiled clothing and surfaces,” the WHO said.
Dr Shamez Ladhani, a consultant paediatrician at the UK Health Security Agency, described enterovirus as a common infection of childhood, “causing a range of symptoms including respiratory disease; hand, foot and mouth, and viral meningitis”.
“In very young babies, it can, on rare occasions, lead to a severe complication called myocarditis – which causes inflammation of the heart. Most babies and children recover completely from this,” Ladhani said.
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