How To Protect Yourself Against Enterovirus— A Doctor Suggests Precautions

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS)— EVD-68, or the enterovirus, has been around for 50 years. As expected, health officials have now started the tally of cases that have made their way into Northern California, but that doesn't mean you should take your kids out of school according to one doctor who says there are simple ways to protect yourself.

Doctors say there are a lot of viruses that could do more damage than this bug, whose symptoms are mild. EVD-68 is one of a number of even more debilitating pathogens we could be exposed to.

You should follow the same kind of precautions you'd take for the flu, including washing your hands with soap for at least 20 seconds. Don't touch your face with unwashed hands and don't share utensils with sick people.

Dr. AK Mishra is medical director for US HealthWorks in South San Francisco. He said like Bird Flu or SARS, this too will pass.

"These are the ebbs and flows and trends of viral syndromes. For example one thing that makes this particularly problematic is that there's no vaccine for this particular problem as opposed to influenza," he said.

Precautions Against Enterovirus You And Your Kids Should Be Taking

Even though the flu comes around every year, not everyone gets a flu shot.

Mishra said the concerns over EVD-68 is if it gets bad enough, to turn respiratory problems into pneumonia or reaches the state of polio-like paralysis.