First Local Enterovirus D68 Case in Massachusetts Confirmed

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health confirmed Tuesday that an 8-year-old girl with a history of asthma is the first confirmed case of Enterovirus D68 in the state.

She has since returned home after receiving treatment at Boston Children’s Hospital. Health officials did not disclose where the girl is from due to patient privacy concerns.

Boston.com reported there was a surge in the number of children being brought to local hospitals to be treated for Enterovirus D68, which is s a more virulent strain of the virus that causes the common cold.

D68 can be spread by coughing, sneezing, or touching contaminated surfaces, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“As with any other respiratory virus, hand washing is the key to reduce spread, use soap and warm water for 20 seconds” said Dr. Alfred DeMaria, the state epidemiologist with Mass. DPH.

DeMaria told CBS Boston that testing samples were collected from the girl two weeks ago, so there may be more cases to come after more tests on more children are processed.

Children’s Hospital said it sent 14 samples to DPH in the last 11 days for testing and 11 results have come back. Of those 11, one was negative and ten were sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta for further testing. Of those ten sent to Atlanta, one returned positive for Enterovirus D68.

They are “waiting to hear back on the remaining 9 samples from the CDC.”

“Not everything we’re seeing is due to one virus,” DeMaria noted, saying some patients have already been ruled out as having contracted D68.

The CDC reports that 175 people in 27 states were confirmed to have contracted the Enterovirus D68 from mid-August to Monday, Sept. 22.

There is no specific medicine at this point to treat the infection.

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