Nebraska sees West Nile-like virus

? Hastings-area doctors are seeing an outbreak of an illness that has symptoms similar to the West Nile virus.

Doctors have been diagnosing what seems like an outbreak of Coxsackievirus. A general increased public awareness of West Nile has led doctors to test for both ailments.

State epidemiologist Dr. Thomas Safranek said Nebraska did not track Coxsackievirus and he was not certain how widespread it was.

“This is not a reportable disease in Nebraska or anywhere else,” Safranek said. “Most often it never gets diagnosed. We don’t get very good reports.”

The virus is passed person-to-person, he said, or through “fecal-oral” transmission. Safranek said it was helpful to wash hands after using the restroom and after changing diapers.

Dr. James Miller of Hastings said he had diagnosed 13 patients with West Nile this year, while the number of patients with Coxsackievirus has totaled more than 130.

“We’re seeing a mini-epidemic along with West Nile,” Miller said. “The two have similar symptoms and therein lies the problems. (Patients) think they’ve got West Nile, and 10 to one, it’s Coxsackie.”

Symptoms include head and body aches, pain in the eyes when moving them side to side, skin pain followed by a rash, loss of appetite, and stomach flu-like symptoms.