New York has become the latest state to confirm cases of a severe respiratory illness among children. The state health department says there are more than a dozen children infected so far with enterovirus EV-D68. Federal health officials have said it's an uncommon strain in a common family of viruses that cause infections from late summer into the fall. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said this year's outbreak is unusually severe. Most children recover without lasting problems. There is no vaccination.
The Enterovirus has spread to New York State, but have been no reported cases in Chautauqua County at this point. That from Chautauqua County Health and Human Services Director Christine Schuyler, who adds, though, that it's likely just a matter of time before it gets here. Schuyler says when the virus hits, the symptoms are often like that of the common cold. However, she says it can soon trigger mild to serious respiratory illness...
Christine Schuyler: symptoms associated with the virus
Schuyler says if your child has asthma or severe allegies and begins developing the breathing issues, get him or her to the doctor right away. She says just like with a cold or the flu, there are ways to avoid getting the Enterovirus...
Christine Schuyler: ways to avoid getting the virus
The EV-D68 virus is spread through the air, and is now in about a dozen states -- mainly in the Midwest. It's led to about 1,000 children in Illinois alone being hospitalized.
New York has become the latest state to confirm cases of a severe respiratory illness among children. The state health department says there are more than a dozen children infected so far with enterovirus EV-D68. Federal health officials have said it's an uncommon strain in a common family of viruses that cause infections from late summer into the fall. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said this year's outbreak is unusually severe. Most children recover without lasting problems. There is no vaccination.
