A heartbroken Connecticut family is warning other parents after their one-month-old baby dies of parechovirus, a severe viral infection that affects newborns and infants. Human Parechovirus or HPeV belongs to the family Picornaviridae, similar to the viral infection causing the common cold, rashes, or diarrhea.
Ronan Delancy, born in May 2022, was a healthy full-term baby who started presenting redness on his chest after a week, per WFSB. His mother brought him to a pediatrician, who diagnosed that the baby was generally fine.
But Kat Delancy wasn't assured because Ronan became more irritable and was not nursing properly. That night after the doctor's visit, Kat and her husband, Mitch Delancy, rushed to the hospital because their baby had stopped breathing and then had a seizure.
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Ronan's Test Confirmed Parechovirus
The baby had to undergo a series of tests as doctors initially could not figure out his illness. Kat recalled that the doctors tried every treatment available, but Ronan got worse. After the fourth day of hospitalization, the doctors finally figured out the right diagnosis for the baby.
Kat said they had never heard of parechovirus before, and the doctors explained that it's an extremely rare virus, so most hospitals do not test for it. After the discovery, Ronan's doctors advised other doctors and stated that parechovirus "may be underdiagnosed due to lack of awareness."
Dr. Ian Michelo of the Connecticut Children's Head of Infectious Diseases, who read the advice from Ronan's doctors, said that babies do not usually present any symptoms. However, some children might develop a fever, flu-like symptoms, and gastrointestinal issues.
In worst cases, the baby might also develop severe brain damage, per the Connecticut Insider. Michelo said that if this was the case, the baby would have no chance of surviving. Unfortunately, Michelo is also aware that parechovirus cases have spiked this May.
Preventing the Spread of Parechovirus
Per the National Library of Medicine, parechovirus was first detected in 1956. Since its discovery, 19 variants of the virus have been discovered. According to the experts, one type may be present one year, while another type could be the dominant variant in the next year.
Ronan's virus was HPeV-3, the more severe strain, which can lead to infant meningitis, encephalitis, or paralysis, as well as death. The Connecticut family recalled that Ronan's doctor had to kneel when he was informing the parents that their baby was very sick and there was nothing they could do about it anymore.
Meanwhile, the experts said that preventing the transmission of parechovirus is similar to other safety protocols. People should wash their hands clean and avoid those who have symptoms of an illness.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) perform real-time RT-PCR tests for parechovirus and have included this in the standard febrile infant pathway. Children under five years old may also be tested if admitted to the hospital with symptoms of enterovirus-like illness.
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