Cases of rare and severe infant respiratory illness enterovirus 68 confirmed in 14 states as it spreads quickly among children across America
As of Wednesday both Minnesota and New Jersey have confirmed cases of the severe virus enterovirus 68
Officials say Alabama, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, New York, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania together have 130 lab-confirmed cases
There are also suspected cases in Georgia, Michigan, Ohio and Utah
A child in Minnesota told Children’s chief nursing officer Roxanne Fernandes it felt like he had ‘an elephant sitting on his chest’
The virus has caused no deaths but has put some children in intensive care and on life support
DailyMailUK
18 September 2014
Health officials say 14 states now have respiratory illnesses caused by an uncommon virus — enterovirus 68 which is marked by severe breathing problems and will continue to infect children in more states.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials say Alabama, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, New York, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania together have 130 lab-confirmed cases.
As of Wednesday both Minnesota and New Jersey also have confirmed cases of the severe virus.
A child in Minnesota is confirmed to have the virus and hospitals in the region have been flooded with children complaining of serious breathing difficulties.
The Star Tribune reports that The Children’s hospitals in Minneapolis and St. Paul have been averaging a combined total of around 300 children transferred to inpatient care each day for the past week.
An entire fourth of those children are suffering respiratory problems and were right to seek hospitalization, says Children’s chief nursing officer Roxanne Fernandes.
‘One little boy about 6 years old told me it was like having an elephant sitting on his chest,” Fernandez said.
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