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By Maggie Fox
Public health officials said seven children died of an adenovirus epidemic at a rehabilitation center in New Jersey.
The children were already fragile, their immune system was weakened and the concern about a more dangerous epidemic was of little interest.
But the adenovirus can be a killer, even if it's not as lethal as the flu, and it can spread quickly and silently. Here are some things to know about adenovirus:
It may sound like a flu
Adenovirus infections often look like colds or flu. The adenovirus causes fever, headaches, body aches and sometimes, but not always, coughs, stomach upsets, and breathing problems. Some strains cause eye infections. There are 52 different strains.
Like the flu, the virus is highly contagious and is more common in cold weather. "Epidemics are more common in late winter, spring and early summer, but can occur year-round," says the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
He can also kill
Some strains of adenovirus can make people very sick and sometimes kill them. It is so risky and painful in tight barracks that the US Army vaccinates recruits against two main strains.
An epidemic of adenovirus killed 10 people in 2007. Patients can develop pneumonia and respiratory failure and, like many viruses, an adenovirus infection can cause encephalitis, often fatal brain swelling.
Epidemics have also occurred in long-term care facilities, where frail patients are more likely to suffer complications and die.
You probably will not know that you've got it
There is no commonly used test for adenovirus. Most doctors do not test the adenovirus unless the hospitalized people suffer from a serious illness for which immediate treatment does not have any effect.
Most people who have a cold or flu never know what they have. A cocktail of other viruses, rhinovirus coronaviruses, is also at the origin of seasonal misery and is not subject to routine testing. There is a quick test for influenza, as the drugs on the market can treat true influenza infections.
It spreads like wildfire
Adenoviruses can spread through close personal contact, for example by touching or shaking hands. They spread in the air while coughing and sneezing. They can also land on surfaces and spread when people touch objects or surfaces containing adenovirus, then touch their mouth, nose or eyes.
Some strains also spread to water bodies such as small lakes or pools.
There is no good treatment
Like many viruses, the treatment of adenovirus is not good, although the antiviral cidofovir has helped some people with serious infections. It is advisable for people with mild illness to stay at home, to keep their hands clean and to cover coughs and sneezes while they recover. Drinking plenty of fluids helps prevent dangerous dehydration and ibuprofen or acetaminophen (like Tylenol) can relieve fever and body aches.
It's hard to kill
Adenoviruses can survive for a month on plastic and metal surfaces – think of countertops and hospital tables. Some formulations of alcohol and chlorhexidine do not kill them easily, tests have shown, but chlorine does not. This makes cleaning difficult after an outbreak.
They can also cling to medical devices such as ventilators, which further increases the risk of outbreaks in hospitals and long-term care facilities.
Maggie FoxMaggie Fox is the senior editor of NBC News and TODAY, where she writes major news on health policy, science, medical treatments and diseases.
She has been editor-in-chief of health technology and technology at the National Journal and senior editor of health and science for Reuters in Washington, DC and London.
Maggie has won awards from the Society of Business Editors and Writers, the National Immunization Program, the Overseas Press Club, and other organizations. She has made scholarships at Harvard Medical School, the National Institutes of Health, and the University of Maryland.
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