Watch above: SickKids Hospital says one child with muscle weakness has tested positive for EV-D68. Sean Mallen reports.
TORONTO – One of the children admitted to the Hospital for Sick Children last week with muscle weakness has tested positive for Enterovirus D68.
Jeremy Friedman, the associate paediatrician-in-chief at the hospital made the announcement at a Wednesday afternoon press conference.
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“In total, at the Hospital for Sick Children, we have identified six children with muscle weakness since this began but on the positive side we haven’t seen a child present with muscle weakness for over a week now.”
The children, believed to be under the age of 10, had been admitted last week for muscle weakness – a common symptom of several different viruses.
READ MORE: Where in Canada is Enterovirus D68?
The other child tested positive for rhinovirus – a form of the common cold.
Since the summer, Friedman said the hospital has treated seven children who had tested positive for Enterovirus D68.
Enteroviruses are a group of viruses comprised of more than 100 different strains. In healthy adults, the virus normally doesn’t lead to serious problems. Young kids are most vulnerable, especially if they also suffer from other respiratory illnesses.
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