Who is Most at Risk of Ad14 Infection and Severe Illness?

The mutated cold virus Ad14 infection has symptoms that typically resemble cold symptoms. It is not until symptoms grow more severe fever that doesn't break or continues to rise, runny nose, sore throat or productive cough that doctors may consider testing patients for Ad14 infection.

Those who are at highest risk for any viral infection and specifically for Ad14 infection include health workers who treat infected patients, those infected with HIV/AIDS or other immunity compromising illness, anyone with other underlying health conditions. In the fatal cases reported one was a 12 day infant girl, born healthy. Other deaths have occurred in cases where those infected tested were HIV positive. Otherwise, experts are just not certain why some patients exhibit only mild symptoms and recover quickly and others die.

Some Ad14 cases studied have included smokers and others with compromised immune systems. Chronic illness and obesity have recently been identified as risk factors. Those with heart infections, brain infections and other inflammatory diseases of the lungs are also at higher risk than the general public.

A CDC report of the study done on Ad14 patients reveals, 22 or 73% of those infected were male and their median age was 53.4 years. The ages actually ranged from 2 weeks to 82 years old. Five cases occurred in patients under 5 years old, and the remaining 20 (83%) occurred in patients over 18 years. 73% (22) of the patients required hospitalization, with sixteen or 53% of those requiring intensive care Seven (23%) died from severe pneumonia.

Median age of the patients who died was 63.6 years and 5 were male. One death occurred in a one-month old infant. No link was found in either in hospitals or the community to explain the method of transmission of Ad14 from one patient to another.

Federal health agency workers tell Americans that while the new strain of Ad14 can cause serious illness, it's not nearly as deadly as other viruses that are passed around every winter. The first identified case of Ad14 (Adenovirus 14) cold virus was among military recruits in the Netherlands in 1955 and all but disappeared by the early 1960s.

The mutated cold virus has appeared again in 4 situations, 1 in 2006 and 3 in 2007. Dr. Larry Anderson, director of viral illnesses at the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta recently told WebMD, "We don't know if it is going to be a bigger problem. We had

Anderson assures us the Ad14 cold virus is not something the public should be alarmed about. He does state that doctors need to keep in mind the possibility that any patients presenting with severe symptoms should keep the Ad14 virus in mind when making a diagnosis.

Ad14 that can cause sudden, very severe respiratory problems and in it's milder forms resembles a cold. Most people who do catch Ad14 only get minor symptoms. Even though the mutated Ad14 virus is new and has been blamed for several deaths since 2006, it is not as deadly as the flu or RSV viruses. Both of those viruses kill thousands every year. The flu season is in full swing and its still not clear to experts whether Ad14 will become a factor in the cold and flu season in 2008.

CDC epidemic intelligence officer John Su, MD, PhD, admits, "Different adenovirus strains have caused outbreaks in the past. But this seems to be a particularly "challenging" virus. This particular