Respiratory Virus Hospitalizing Kids Could Be In Minnesota

A respiratory illness that has sent hundreds of children to hospitals across the country could be in as many as 10 states.

The virus can cause severe respiratory illness in children and has resulted in some patients being admitted to intensive care units, the Centers for Disease Control stated. In Chicago there were more than a dozen confirmed cases, including two instances in which mechanical ventilation was required.

Cases also have been confirmed in Iowa, Colorado and Missouri. Suspected cases had been reported in Ohio, Georgia, Michigan, Alabama, Oklahoma, Kansas, Kentucky and Utah, CNN reported.

Enterovirus 68 has not yet been confirmed in Minnesota, MPR News reported, but Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota has identified 8 potential cases. Samples are being sent to the CDC.

The CDC states that common symptoms are cough, wheezing and shortness of breath and it notes that some will be people will be much more impacted by the illness than others. So far the illness has tended to infect infants, children and adolescents disproportionately.

The disease does not cause permanent damage and goes away as the body “clears the virus and the inflammatory reaction” subsides. To prevent infection the CDC suggests the following:

• Wash your hands
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands
• Avoid kissing, hugging, sharing cups or utensils with anyone who is ill
• Teach children to cover their mouths when coughing
• Disinfect counters, toys, doorknobs and phones regularly