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Extra folks within the U.S. have grow to be contaminated with a extremely transmissible seasonal respiratory virus that may pose critical dangers to pregnant ladies and other people with blood problems, well being officers mentioned Tuesday.
Parvovirus B19 is transmitted by droplets from symptomatic folks and from contaminated individuals who don’t present any indicators of an infection. The virus seems to be spreading this summer season, based mostly on a spread of proof, blood plasma samples and anecdotal stories, the U.S. Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention mentioned, issuing a broad warning to well being care suppliers, well being businesses and the general public.
In its alert, CDC officers mentioned the proportion of people that examined constructive for antibodies − an indicator of latest an infection − elevated throughout all ages, from lower than 3% having immunity from 2022 to earlier in 2024, to 10% of individuals in June. The best uptick has been amongst kids between ages 5 and 9. In plasma donors, the samples confirmed the prevalence of the virus DNA jumped from 1.5% in December to 19.9% in June. The CDC famous there have been growing stories of issues amongst pregnant ladies and other people with sickle cell illness. In Europe, greater than a dozen international locations additionally noticed “unusually excessive numbers of circumstances” of parvovirus B19 within the first quarter of 2024, CDC’s alert mentioned.
Parvovirus B19 is very infectious. Half of the folks uncovered in a single family can grow to be contaminated, the CDC mentioned. Comparable numbers are seen at colleges amongst college students and employees throughout outbreaks. For many, the an infection is gentle. Signs embrace fever, headache, cough and sore throat, the CDC mentioned. Frequent indicators is usually a fever or flu-like signs adopted by a reddish “slapped test” rash in kids a couple of later. Adults can develop painful and swollen joints that normally final one to 3 weeks.
Parvovirus B19 could cause extreme drops in blood depend, or anemia, for folks with blood problems or weakened immune programs. These at better danger embrace folks with leukemia or different cancers, organ transplant recipients, folks with HIV, and blood problems akin to sickle cell and thalassemia. Extreme outcomes are uncommon. They embrace myocarditis, or irritation of the center muscle, encephalitis, or swelling of the mind, and hepatitis.
In pregnant ladies, the virus can unfold to infants. In uncommon circumstances, this will trigger a miscarriage.
The U.S. doesn’t have routine surveillance for parvovirus B19, neither is it a notifiable situation. There isn’t any vaccine or beneficial remedy. Prior an infection is believed to provide lifelong immunity, the Mayo Clinic mentioned. Folks can stop an infection by hand-washing, avoiding touching their faces, or sharing meals. Wearing a mask also can scale back the chance of unfold, as with different respiratory sicknesses.
This text initially appeared on USA TODAY: Parvovirus B19 increasing in US, CDC warns. What are the symptoms?
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