Here are highlights from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) latest report on the enterovirus outbreak.
- From mid-August to October 3, 2014, 538 people in 43 states and the District of Columbia had been confirmed to have respiratory illness caused by EV-D68.
- Many state health departments have reported increases this year 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 may be contributing to the increases in severe respiratory illnesses.
- CDC is prioritizing testing of specimens from children with severe respiratory illness. Of the specimens tested by the CDC lab, about half have tested positive for EV-D68. About one-third have tested positive for an enterovirus or rhinovirus other than EV-D68.
- EV-D68 has been detected in specimens from four patients who died and had samples submitted for testing. The role that EV-D68 infection played in these deaths is unclear at this time; state and local health departments are continuing to investigate.
- CDC is continuing to collect information from states and assess the situation to better understand EV-D68 and the illness caused by this virus, how widespread EV-D68 infections may be within each state, and the populations affected.
- CDC is helping states with diagnostic and molecular typing for EV-D68 and working with state and local health departments and clinical and state laboratories to enhance their capacity to identify and investigate outbreaks, and perform diagnostic and molecular typing tests to improve detection of enteroviruses and enhance surveillance.
- CDC is developing and validating a diagnostic test to detect EV-D68 in specimens. CDC will explore options for providing test kits and protocols to state public health labs. Read more from the CDC.
