2 patients at Seattle Children’s confirmed with enterovirus D-68
Sep 19, 2014, 8:57 AM | Updated: 10:08 am
Two cases of a particularly aggressive respiratory virus that is sweeping the country have been confirmed in Washington.
Seattle Children’s Hospital confirms that two young patients tested positive for enterovirus D-68 (EV D-68). Both have since been discharged. Tests on three other children came back negative from the Centers for Disease Control. Two of those patients were discharged. A third died.
Hundreds of children have gotten sick from D-68, mostly in the Midwest. No deaths have been reported. Most of the cases involve kids with pre-existing respiratory conditions, such as asthma.
Parents are advised to keep a close watch for breathing difficulties in children with pre-existing respiratory conditions.
King County’s Chief of Communicable Disease, Jeff Duchin, says the test confirmation means we can expect to see additional cases in the coming weeks.
“But we can’t predict at this time how severe or how long an EV-D68 outbreak might be locally,” said Duchin.
Enteroviruses are common with about 100 different types known. Health experts estimate that 10 to 15 million people get enterovirus infections in the United States each year and symptoms are usually mild. No deaths have been reported in the U.S. this year from the outbreak of enterovirus D-68.
