Enterovirus D68 often called EV-D68 is one of more than 100 non-polio enteroviruses and this virus was first identified in California in 1962.
EV-D68 can cause mild to severe respiratory illness.
Mild symptoms may include fever, runny nose, sneezing, cough, and body and muscle aches.
Severe symptoms may include wheezing and difficulty breathing.
Anyone with respiratory illness should contact their doctor if they are having difficulty breathing or if their symptoms are getting worse. You need to protect yourself and you don’t need to feel like you are wasting your Doctors time by having him/her take a look at you and make sure you tell him/her to test for the EV-D68 virus as it often is misdiagnosed as it has similar symptoms to the common cold and the flu.
EV-D68 likely spreads from person to person when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or touches a surface that is then touched by others.
A mix of enteroviruses circulates every year, and different types of enteroviruses can be common in different years. Small numbers of EV-D68 have been reported regularly to CDC since 1987. However, during 2014 the number of people reported with confirmed EV-D68 infection was much greater than that reported in previous years. We can’t predict whether EV-D68 will be a common type of enterovirus detected in future seasons.
EVD68 generally affects infants, children, and teenagers. That’s because they do not yet have the immune system to fight the virus from previous exposures to other enteroviruses. The CDC also believes this is also true for EV-D68. Adults can get infected with enteroviruses, but they are more likely to have no symptoms or mild symptoms.
Children with asthma may have a higher risk for severe respiratory illness caused by EV-D68 infection.
