But it is not clear whether there is a connection between the two infections, said Dr. Michael D. Fine, state health director.
The girl died the weekend of Sept. 20-21 of a staphylococcus aureus infection that got into her bloodstream, causing sepsis and killing her within a day. Fine said such deaths occur in Rhode Island once or twice a year. “The child was perfectly well, and crashed and burned within a few hours,” he said. The girl came to Hasbro Children’s Hospital in Providence by rescue, Fine said.
“She was really in extremis by the time she got through the doors of the hospital,” the health chief said. Afterward, the Health Department checked for evidence of other infections, and enterovirus D68 was confirmed Monday.
The virus, although not new, is more prevalent this year and has manifested as a respiratory infection that triggers asthma attacks in some children. It has been confirmed in 500 people in 42 states.
When enterovirus D68 was confirmed, Fine said, he first notified the child’s family and then the public.
“We want people to know about it, but there’s nothing specific to do about it,” Fine said. “If D68 wasn’t around, [the death] could have happened anyway. . . . Thinking about this as a D68 death is a mistake.”
Staph infections can sometimes come on the heels of viral infections, he said. “Most of us walk around with some staph; most of us walk around with some strep,” Fine said. “Why one person has this kind of disease, one person out of a million once or twice a year, we don’t know.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Wednesday that enterovirus D68 was detected in samples from four people who died, but the role of the virus in those deaths is unclear.
In most people, the virus causes mild coldlike symptoms. In some children, it has progressed to severe asthma requiring hospitalization.
Last week, the CDC reported that in Colorado, 10 children infected with enterovirus D68 suffered muscle weakness and other neurological symptoms. Boston Children’s Hospital said Tuesday it is treating four children who were sickened with a flulike illness and subsequently developed muscle weakness or paralysis, but enterovirus D68 has not been detected in their spinal fluid, making the connection unclear.
To prevent illness, health officials advise frequent hand washing, urge people to avoid touching the face, and suggest staying home while sick.
Related coverage:
• Horowitz: How dangerous is this new respiratory enterovirus?
• Children’s Hospital probes link between enterovirus, paralysis
• At least 10 cases of enterovirus D68 confirmed in Conn.
• Two cases of enterovirus confirmed in New Hampshire
• Virus probed in paralysis cases in 9 Colorado kids
Felice J. Freyer can be reached at felice.freyer@globe.com. Carolyn Johnson can be reached at carolyn.johnson@
globe.com.