There is no medication that specifically treats an enterovirus infection. Most cases of enterovirus get better on their own with common at-home supportive measures, such as rest, fluids, and the use of nonprescription drugs to help with symptoms, such as ibuprofen (Advil/Motrin) or acetaminophen (Tylenol) for pain. Antibiotics should not be used because they are useless against any viral infection, including enterovirus.
Serious Cases
Medical attention should be sought, however, if the illness becomes serious. Most of the severe cases are in infants, adults with weak immune systems, or children who already have lung problems, such as asthma. Those experiencing severe respiratory problems may need to be hospitalized. While there are antiviral drugs that may be used against viruses including enterovirus, none of them have been proven useful against enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) — the strain of enterovirus responsible for the 2014 outbreak — according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Prevention
Enteroviruses are most likely passed from one person to another when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or touches a surface that is then touched by others. An enteroviral infection starts when material contaminated with the virus is swallowed. The virus reproduces in the digestive tract then — if it’s not killed by the immune system — enters the bloodstream and begins to cause symptoms. It only takes the tiniest bit of infected material — a drop of saliva too small to see with the naked eye, for example — to transmit a virus to a new host. The same hygienic routines are recommended to prevent the spread of enteroviruses as those used to prevent the spread of colds and flu:
Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly, and have your children do likewise. It’s especially important before meals and when you first come indoors.Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.Stay home if you have symptoms of an upper respiratory infection.Keep your children home if they have upper respiratory infection symptoms. Do not send them to school or to daycare.Teach your children to cough or sneeze into their shoulder or elbow to protect those around them and avoid getting contagious droplets on their hands.Do not share eating utensils, cups, glasses, or bottles with a person who is sick.Disinfect hard surfaces that a sick person may have touched, such as toys, keyboards, phones, and the handles of doors, faucets, and flush toilets.
There is no vaccine for enteroviral infection. The flu vaccine is important to protect against the influenza viruses that cause the flu, but it will not protect against enteroviruses.
Enterovirus and Children with Asthma
People who have asthma — a condition in which certain triggers cause the airways to become inflamed and narrowed — are more vulnerable to respiratory illnesses generally. The 2014 outbreak of EV-D68 caused particularly severe respiratory illness in children with asthma. The CDC had special advice for parents of children with asthma to prepare for the possibility of EV-D68 infection. The advice is important even in years with less severe enterovirus outbreaks as well:
Discuss and update your child’s asthma management plan with your child’s doctor.Monitor your child’s use of prescribed asthma medications, especially long-term medications.Ensure that your child has access to asthma-reliever medicine (also known as rescue medication such as an albuterol inhaler) at all times.Follow your child’s action plan if new or worsening asthma symptoms develop.Vaccinate your child against the flu.Call the doctor if symptoms do not go away or worsen when the action plan is followed.
