The Ohio Department of Health confirmed Tuesday that there have been cases of Enterovirus-D68 in both Cincinnati, and Dayton.
ODH says there has been 11 cases of EV-D68 at Cincinnati Children's Hospital, and eight cases at Dayton Children's Hospital.
EV-D68 is a less common type of enterovirus and can cause cold-like symptoms and mild to severe upper respiratory illness in some individuals. Infected individuals usually recover on their own. However, some individuals, especially those with weakened immune systems or underlying medical conditions such as asthma, may experience severe complications and require hospitalization with supportive therapy. There is no vaccine for EV-D68 nor any specific treatment or anti-viral medications.
Ohio and Kentucky were two of the ten states in September to have seen an uptick in respiratory illness, prompting the Center for Disease to suspect an outbreak of the virus. However, Ohio had not seen any positive cases of D68 in the state until Tuesday.
On Sept. 12, The ODH sent hospital specimens to the CDC for testing.
Source: Food Safety News Today