Virus causing polio-like paralysis on the rise in California, wastewater shows
Wastewater data shows the rate of enterovirus D68, a respiratory illness that causes polio-like symptoms, is on the rise in California and several states, according to new data. The data, from the nonprofit WastewaterSCAN, shows the D68 virus is now being detected at medium levels in 323 of 429 samples nationwide over the last 10 days. Because the viruses are shed in waste, wastewater analysis can detect viral activity in communities. Wastewater samples taken from 57 sites in California show medium rates of D68 around the Bay Area, Sacramento and Los Angeles, with lower rates recorded at two wastewater sites in Riverside County. According to the data, two of the state’s biggest upticks in D68 detections in recent weeks were recorded in wastewater from treatment plants in San Francisco and Vallejo.
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