Babies’ deadly brain bug that can ‘fool’ GPs
SCOTLAND is facing an outbreak of a virus mainly seen in babies which can lead to meningitis and brain damage.
Parechovirus is often mistaken by doctors for a common cold, starting with a runny nose, aching joints and tiredness.
But it can kill young children, prompting a warning from Health Protection Scotland to doctors to test for it.
Recent Australian research has found that the virus, which spreads easily like a cold through coughing and sneezing, can cause brain damage, with many babies ending up in intensive care having suffered seizures.
Scotland has seen a surge in cases of parechovirus so far this year, similar to peak years in 2012 and 2014.
Almost 20 cases were detected in April alone, with more than two-thirds of cases from 2012 onwards seen in babies under the age of one. There is no vaccine to protect families.
Dr Ben Neuman, a virologist at the University of Reading, said: ‘These figures are concerning, as doctors do not always realise children have parechovirus.
‘A GP can easily mistake it for a common cold unless specific tests are done to check.
‘They can take a swab from the nose or do a blood test, but the other complication is that some people have more than one virus in their system at the same time.’
Researchers in Australia, where almost 80 babies were hospitalised with parechovirus in 2013 and 2014, found more than half had developmental problems 12 months later.
They struggled with speaking and problem-solving, while one in five had ‘significant’ neurological problems. Brain damage occurs when the virus gets into the brain and a child’s immune system goes into overdrive to fight it off.
In its latest weekly bulletin, Health Protection Scotland warns: ‘Parechoviruses are commonly spread and more than 95 per cent of cases are infected early in life.’
It adds: ‘In light of the increase in parechovirus detections described, NHS boards and clinicians should be aware of parechovirus as a possible cause of meningitis and encephalitis, especially in infants, and request appropriate testing.’
The health protection body found close to 95 per cent of Scots infected with parechovirus from January 2012 to May of this year were under
‘A GP can mistake it for common cold’
the age of five. Children often suffer mild respiratory problems or diarrhoea in the first instance.
But HPS warns it can lead to meningitis, myocarditis (damage to the heart muscle) and encephalitis (inflammation of the brain).
Revealing the findings on brain damage, Professor Cheryl Jones, president of the Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases, said: ‘What this tells us is that this virus is not a simple virus that babies get over, and these children need to be followed up.’
The first reported case was recorded in Australia in 2013. There have since been mini-outbreaks there and in the United States.
Experts say good hygiene is the best protection – washing hands with soap and water after going to the toilet, before eating, after wiping noses and after changing nappies or soiled clothing.