Enteroviruses, corona, influenza A, RSV and adenoviruses: child in Austria struggles with fivefold infection
Created: 2022-12-15, 12:58 p.m
By: Michelle Brey
A toddler in Austria is fighting five infections at the same time.
(Iconic image) © Patrick Pleul/dpa
Corona, RSV, the flu: There are some diseases in circulation in Germany and Austria.
One toddler was particularly badly hit.
Vienna/Munich - The acute shortage of beds in children's hospitals in Germany has been causing a stir for weeks.
The background is the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
A wave of infections with shortness of breath in children pushes intensive care units to their limits.
In response, the German Child Protection Association called for a “quick financial emergency program” at the beginning of December.
But not only in Germany, but also in Austria, the health system is under great pressure.
RSV, corona and flu: A triple virus wave is overrunning Austria.
Meanwhile, a doctor from Vienna reports on a strange case of illness in the children's ward.
Accordingly, a small child not only fights with the corona virus, with RSV and influenza, but also with two other diseases at the same time.
Exceptional case in Austria: Baby falls ill with five infections at the same time
Judith Aberle from the Medical University of Vienna announced via Twitter that she had seen the findings of a small child with a fivefold viral infection.
Several newspapers reported unanimously on this.
As a result, the virologist wrote on Tuesday (December 23) on the social media platform: “Today I saw the findings of a small child with a PCR-confirmed fivefold infection for the first time: enteroviruses, Sars-CoV-2, influenza A, RSV and adenoviruses. “There is no further information about the age or gender of the child.
Enteroviruses and Adenoviruses - What is it?
As the Bavarian State Office for Health and Food Safety (LGL) writes, most infections caused by
enteroviruses
are symptomless .
“The enteroviruses can cause non-specific febrile illnesses, sometimes with an exanthema (skin rash).
But they can also cause a number of diseases, some of which have typical symptoms.
Respiratory diseases that trigger enteroviruses "can be mild, but also as a severe flu-like infection".
Adenoviruses
can trigger a so-called adenovirus conjunctivitis (eye flu).
According to LGL, the viruses are mostly "transmitted via smear or droplet infection".
The LGL also writes about the clinical picture: “Those affected suffer from infectious conjunctivitis and corneal inflammation, which almost always heals completely after 2-4 weeks.
The eye is red and there is a foreign body sensation with itching or burning, in about half of the cases the infection also spreads to the second eye.”
How stressful a fivefold infection must be for the body of a small child is obvious.
There were enough warnings of a combined wave of the corona virus and influenza before autumn 2022.
Whether a fivefold infection is an exception remains uncertain for the time being.
(mbr)
