According to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), widespread influenza activity was reported in 30 U.S. states in the week ending January 5, 2019. Flu activity is expected to continue increasing, with the highest activity likely to occur by the end of February. That means a lot more people with fever, body aches, runny nose, and sore throat — all of which are also characteristics of a group of common viruses known as adenoviruses. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that adenovirus is responsible for between 2 and 5 percent of all respiratory infections. “If you have upper respiratory symptoms, it’s going to be almost impossible for anybody to distinguish between adenovirus and influenza without doing further testing,” says Amesh Adalja, MD, an infectious disease physician and senior scholar at Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security in Baltimore. While adenoviruses may be less known than the flu, they are very common among young people. Most children have had at least one adenovirus infection by age 10. “Children may not even know they have the illness, or it may just be a little bit of diarrhea and a little coughing and sneezing,” says William Schaffner, MD, an infectious disease specialist and a professor of preventive medicine and health policy at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tennessee.
Milder Than Flu, But Still Poses a Health Risk
Adenovirus infections are typically mild and do not pose the same health threat as influenza. During the last flu season, more than 80,000 people died from influenza-related complications. “The damage that the flu can cause is on a different scale than basically any other virus that we know,” says Dr. Adalja. (He notes, however, that this season’s predominant strain of flu, H1N, tends to be milder than the H3N2 strain that dominated last season.) People who die from adenovirus are usually immunocompromised, according to Adalja. They may have had an organ transplant or condition that weakens their immune system. “Influenza can take a perfectly healthy young adult or child and put them in the emergency room in 24 hours,” Dr. Schaffner says. “This is not likely to happen with adenovirus infections, unless you have a compromised immune system.” In the fall of 2018, adenovirus took the life of an 18-year-old freshman at the University of Maryland and infected at least 30 other students, according to an article published December 7, 2018, in the Baltimore Sun. The student who died had been taking medication for Crohn’s disease, which may have compromised her immune system. In November 2018, 11 children with underlying medical conditions died in an adenovirus outbreak at a healthcare facility in Haskell, New Jersey, according to an article published November 19, 2018, by CNN.
Is There a Vaccine for Adenoviruses?
Although a vaccine exists for both viruses, only the flu vaccine is available to the general public. The CDC recommends that everyone over the age of 6 months get a flu vaccine, yet only 37 percent of adults got it last year. The adenovirus vaccine is only approved for military personnel between 17 and 50 years of age, and the U.S. Department of Defense recommends that new military recruits get vaccinated. “When you see these outbreaks, like at the University of Maryland and New Jersey, however, you wonder if the vaccine for adenovirus should be broadened,” says Adalja.
Treatment for Adenovirus Versus the Flu
If a person does get adenovirus, there is no specific treatment other than to rest and stay hydrated. For the flu, there are four Food and Drug Administration (FDA)–approved antiviral drugs recommended by the CDC: oseltamivir (Tamiflu), peramivir, zanamivir (Relenza Diskhaler), and baloxavir marboxil (Xofluza). Adalja points out that there are a few other viruses besides adenovirus that cause flu-like symptoms. They include respiratory syncytial virus, coronaviruses, and rhinoviruses, which cause the common cold. “Flu usually causes chills and body aches and higher fever than some of these other infections, but it’s really hard to tell without doing a test,” says Adalja. The CDC says that adenoviruses may also cause diarrhea, conjunctivitis (pink eye), bladder inflamation or infection, inflammation of the stomach and intestines, bronchitis, and neurologic disease, which affects the brain and spinal cord. Both influenza and adenoviruses are easily spread. To protect yourself, the CDC encourages frequent hand-washing; not touching eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands; and avoiding contact with those who are sick. Learn More About Cold Vs. Flu: How to Tell the Difference In Your Symptoms
