Enterovirus Is Not Showing Up in Louisiana,Yet

No cases of the Enterovirus D68 virus have shown up in Louisiana, yet. But doctors are prepared to be on the lookout for it.

Several Colorado children have tested positive for Enterovirus D68, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Children's Hospital Colorado confirmed. Colorado was one of ten states that asked the CDC for help investigating the outbreak. The illness is related to rhinovirus, which is a cause of the common cold. Patients often complain of a rapid onset of cold-like symptoms and then suddenly are unable to breathe.

The virus can cause mild cold-like symptoms but this summer's cases are unusually severe, said Mark Pallansch, director of the viral diseases division at the CDC. While enterovirus is common in general, with 10-15 million occurrences each year, the CDC says this strain is much less common and is rarely reported in the United States.
Besides Colorado, other states who may be experiencing the virus are: North Carolina, Georgia, Ohio, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Kentucky.

This isn’t the first enterovirus outbreak in the U.S.

Georgia and Pennsylvania reported clusters of enterovirus 68 almost exactly five years ago in September 2009, according to a 2011 CDC report. Arizona had a small cluster of cases in August and September 2010, according to the same report.

The rare virus suspected of sickening 1,000 kids in 11 states can start out like the common cold but quickly evolve into something much more serious, health officials say.

Find out everything you need to know about enterovirus 68 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention