A Chester County health investigator said Monday, Sept. 22, that there are no confirmed cases of the Enterovirus D68 despite word there is such a case involving a student at Unionville High school.
Last week, Unionville High School sent a message to parents saying there had been a case of the virus at UHS. However, Chester County Health Department Communicable Disease Investigator Jan Achenbach said there has been no confirmation of EV-D68 in the county.
According to U-CFSD’s Dave Listman, the district confirmed the case at UHS on Sept. 15 and contacted the health department.
“The Unionville-Chadds Ford School District confirms that one of its high school students has the EV-D68 virus. The student will not return to school until cleared to return,” Listman said in an e-mail.
In a follow-up-email, he said, “We have a student in the hospital and so we wanted to alert our community to take prudent precautions based on the alert the health department had put out previously. I've had a few conversations with Jan [Achenbach] and I understand that they can't report a confirmed case until the CDC confirms the case with a lab test.”
In the interim, the school has implemented measures to minimize risks to students.
Achenbach said that precautions against EV-D68 are the same as for other viruses, that basic hygiene and sanitation practices are needed to control the spread.
While stressing there are no confirmed cases of EV-D68 in the county, Achenbach said, “This is a virus and viruses are very common and I know there are people being tested and evaluated for all kinds of viruses.”
EV-D68 was first identified in California 1962, she said. It’s one of many viruses and is not very common, but “does have its cycles. This is apparently its time when it’s spreading.”
Achenbach added that the beginning of the school year is a common time for an increased in viral illnesses because children are, again, sharing close spaces.
“As always, the most important thing is to not cough or sneeze on other people, wash your hands,” she said. “Don’t let anyone cough or sneeze on you. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands. And realize this virus can live on surfaces for a very short period of time. So cleaning, environmental cleaning is another prevention measure.”
About Rich Schwartzman
Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.
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