COLUMBUS, Ohio – Although there have been no confirmed cases of the enterovirus, Ohio hospitals, including Nationwide Children’s Hospital, are seeing a jump in the number of patients with respiratory illnesses, especially children, compared to previous years and the increase may be associated with enterovirus D68, which has been confirmed in several other states, according to the Ohio Department of Health.
NOTE: Nationwide Children’s Hospital and Columbus Public Health are conducting a Twitter chat about the enterovirus at 3:00 p.m. Friday. Follow #NCHViruschat
The department has sent hospital specimens to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for testing.
“We definitely won’t be surprised if test results come back from CDC confirming the presence of EV-D68 in Ohio given patient symptoms,” state epidemiologist Dr. Mary DiOrio said.
There is no vaccine, treatment or anti-viral medication for EV-D68, DiOrio said.
First diagnosed in 1962, the more than 100 types of enterovirus cause an estimated 10 to 15 million infections a year, especially targeting infants, children and teenagers, DiOrio said. Most occur during summer and fall and the majority of patients have only mild symptoms or none at all.
EV-D68 is a less common type of enterovirus and can cause cold-like symptoms with mild to severe upper respiratory illness in some patients, most of whom recover on their own.
However, DiOrio says people with weakened immune systems or underlying medical conditions like asthma may experience severe complications and require hospitalization.
“Some of the children who have gotten ill with this enterovirus have previously been diagnosed with asthma,” she said. “We’re urging Ohioans to take precautions to help prevent the spread of this virus. We also want to bring attention to the importance of optimal asthma control.
DiOrio says people with asthma should take their medications regularly, get a flu vaccine and avoid triggers like tobacco smoke.