Severe Respiratory Illness Associated with Enterovirus D68 — Missouri and Illinois, 2014

Severe Respiratory Illness Associated with Enterovirus D68 — Missouri and Illinois, 2014

MMWR Early Release Vol. 63, No. Early Release September 8, 2014

PDFSevere Respiratory Illness Associated with Enterovirus D68 — Missouri and Illinois, 2014  Claire M. Midgley, PhD, Mary Anne Jackson, MD, Rangaraj Selvarangan, PhD, et al. MMWR 2014;63(Early Release);1–2.  In August, hospitals in Missouri and Illinois notified CDC of increases in patients examined and hospitalized with severe respiratory illness, including some admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit. Nasopharyngeal specimens from patients with recent onset of severe symptoms from both facilities were sequenced by the CDC Picornavirus Laboratory. Enterovirus D68 was identified in 19 of 22 specimens from Kansas City and in 11 of 14 specimens from Chicago. Admissions for severe respiratory illness have continued at both facilities at rates higher than expected, and investigations into suspected clusters in other jurisdictions are ongoing.