Three San Diego County children were among the first four cases of enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) respiratory infection confirmed in California this year, the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency announced Thursday.
The three local children, along with a child visiting San Diego County, were hospitalized earlier this month for respiratory illness at Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego. The children ranged in age from 2 years to 13 years. They have all improved and are no longer in the hospital.
We may learn of more cases in San Diego, but overall county-wide respiratory illnesses have not increased significantly in the community,” said Wilma J. Wooten, M.D., M.P.H., County public health officer. “We are monitoring this closely with our local health care providers.”
“Rady Children’s began seeing a steady rise in the number of children coming to the hospital with respiratory conditions in mid-August, and the numbers continue to increase,” said Dr. John Bradley, pediatric infectious disease specialist at Rady Children’s. “However, for most children, EV-D68 is experienced as a common cold, so a trip to the emergency department is generally not necessary unless the child has difficulty breathing or an unusually high fever.”
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) reports confirming the three cases from San Diego County and one case from Ventura. More cases are anticipated in the coming weeks.
Dr. Ron Chapman, CDPH director and state health officer said, “We are not surprised to find EV-D68 causing some illnesses in California given the apparent widespread nature of this virus in other parts of the country.” For more infectious disease news and information, visit and “like” the Infectious Disease News Facebook page
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, from mid-August to September 18, 2014, a total of 153 people from 18 states were confirmed to have respiratory illness caused by EV-D68 (not including the California cases). The 18 states are Alabama, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. The cases of EV-D68 infection were confirmed by the CDC or state public health laboratories that notified CDC.
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