TORONTO — Three children suffering from muscle weakness are being tested in Toronto to determine whether they’ve been infected with enterovirus D68.
Dr. Upton Allen, chief of infectious diseases at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, says they expect to receive the results early next week.
There have been dozens of confirmed cases of enterovirus D68 in western and central Canada, which usually causes only mild cold symptoms such as fever and runny nose.
But a small number of infected children have developed polio-like symptoms, including one in Hamilton and two in British Columbia.
Doctors in Hamilton are testing three other patients who have displayed similar neurological symptoms to see if enterovirus D68 is the cause.
Alberta health officials say they’re investigating whether four children with respiratory illness coupled with paralytic symptoms are also infected.