Tennessee is the latest US state to have a confirmed case of Enterovirus D68, according to an update by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today. Two cases were confirmed by the CDC, the children were from West Tennessee and the other in East Tennessee.

Image/CDC
Image/CDC

Both were hospitalized for their illnesses, but are now home and doing well.

“As expected, Tennessee has been impacted by enterovirus D68 as have most other states this fall,” said TDH Commissioner John Dreyzehner, MD, MPH. “We have now confirmed two cases, while other samples have tested positive for different, common, seasonal cold viruses. It is also likely other samples will test positive for EV-D68 in the future.

“This is cold and flu season, and simple measures like washing your hands and not touching your face are important ways to help protect against germs like EV-D68 that can’t be prevented with vaccine,” said Dreyzehner. “This is also an excellent time to get your flu shot to protect yourself and people around you from flu.”

As of October 8, 2014, CDC or state public health laboratories have confirmed a total of 664 people from 45 states and the District of Columbia with respiratory illness caused by EV-D68.

The 45 states are Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

Many state health departments are currently investigating reported increases in cases of severe respiratory illness in children. This increase could be caused by many different viruses that are common during this time of year. EV-D68 appears to be the predominant type of enterovirus this year and is likely contributing to the increases in severe respiratory illnesses.

Hospitals in Missouri and Illinois were the first to document this increase that was later identified to be caused predominantly by EV-D68 infection.

At least one death has been attributed to EV-D68 in a New Jersey child. For more infectious disease news and information, visit and “like” the Infectious Disease News Facebook page