On the East Coast, The Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH) confirmed the presence of enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) in Maryland. The virus, which has been associated with respiratory infections in children across the country, was identified in a specimen collected from a hospitalized child in suburban Maryland and was sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for confirmation.
The child was released from the hospital and is recovering.
In the Midwest, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has informed the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) that it has confirmed one positive case of Enterovirus D68 in the state. A child from Door County tested positive for the virus. Since mid-August, the CDC has received reports of clusters of Enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) infections that have occurred in multiple states, but this is the first confirmed case in Wisconsin.
And out West in Idaho, the first results for five submitted samples from hospitalized children in eastern Idaho show one child tested positive for EV-D68, two tested positive for a different virus, and the remaining two were negative. All five children have been discharged from hospital care.
“Enterovirus infections are very common this time of year and can sometimes cause serious illness,” says Dr. Christine Hahn, state epidemiologist and Idaho Public Health medical director. “There are no vaccines for these common viruses, so parents need to be vigilant and make sure their families follow these simple but effective health interventions —wash your hands frequently, cover your cough and stay home when you are sick. This is especially important for children with asthma.”
From mid-August to September 25, 2014, CDC or state public health laboratories have confirmed a total of 226 people from 38 states with respiratory illness caused by EV-D68. The 32 states are Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. This indicates that at least one case has been detected in each state listed but does not indicate how widespread infections are in each state.
CDC is prioritizing testing of specimens from children with severe respiratory illness. Of the specimens tested by CDC lab, about half have tested positive for EV-D68. About one third have tested positive for pathogens other than EV-D68. For more infectious disease news and information, visit and “like” the Infectious Disease News Facebook page
