Possible Case of Enterovirus in West Columbia

(WOLO) COLUMBIA,S.C., — The road to recovery for 2 year old Jayden Robinson was not an easy one according to his mother. Nearly 4 weeks of agony as Amanda Payamps watched her tearful and lethargic sons’ symptoms go from bad to worse. “I went to every doctor there was. i went to after hours care, the children’s hospital i was there until about midnight and then after that we went to his doctor the next day.” Payamps says her sons fever skyrocketed upwards of 104. And while his temperature grew so did her fears. ” We had a hard time getting his fever to go down and just when we go that down, that’s when everything started showing up like the blisters on his body.” The same blisters Payamps says he also had in the back of his throat preventing him from eating for more than a week. Unfortunately even with all of the underlying issues, Payamps says there was little doctors could do to help. The Enterovirus D 68, has more than a hundred different strains, and not knowing which type left doctors giving her advice instead of medicine. Local doctors say parents should not freak out over the virus since they say it’s similar to a very bad flu. No deaths have been reported here in South Carolina and are medical officials are working with the Centers for Disease Control. Still, there is no vaccine according to pediatricians and no medicine to take once it’s contracted from close contact from someone who has it. Doctors say the best prevention is washing hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and water or using a hand sanitizer. Once you are infected with the virus, all you can do is let it run it’s course.