Kansas City-area health authorities are investigating infections among 14 babies who contracted an infection that can lead to a form of meningitis.
In the summer, there's often a seasonal outbreak of the virus known as parechovirus, which usually affects infants 3 to 8 weeks old. Most recover within a few days with no long-term consequences.
In the latest outbreak, the babies have been younger, only 1 to 2 weeks old. Their symptoms have been more severe and diagnosed in a shorter time span.
"We don't have any clinical evidence that there's any outbreak in any nursery, but we're studying these infants in the first weeks to see if they're different than the older babies," said Dr. Mary Anne Jackson, the infectious disease director at Children's Mercy Hospital.
The symptoms are not subtle and doctors can test for the virus.
"Babies with parechovirus have high fever, they tend to be irritable, they have a high-pitched cry, they often have a little rash over the trunk and they have abdominal distention," Jackson said. "They look uncomfortable and parents know right away. They don't want to feed, they're not sleeping, and the high-pitched cry is a huge tipoff that something's wrong."
While there isn't a specific treatment or cure, doctors usually administer supportive treatments, such as IV fluids, and the babies often recover on their own.
While the parechovirus can cause meningitis, it's not bacterial meningitis, which can be fatal or cause long-term effects.
All 14 babies that have been diagnosed in this cluster are out of the hospital and doing well.