Florida becomes the 44th state with confirmed Enterovirus D68

Only Tennessee, Nevada, Oregon, Arizona, Alaska and Hawaii are the only states without a confirmed case of the respiratory virus, Enterovirus D68, after Florida became the 44th state to record a case.

The case is in a 10-year-old girl from Polk County who is recovering from her illness.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says as of Oct. 7, 628 people from 44 states and the District of Columbia have been confirmed with respiratory illness caused by EV-D68.

The 44 states are Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

CDC is prioritizing testing of specimens from children with severe respiratory illness. There are likely many children affected with milder forms of illness. Of the specimens tested by the CDC lab, about half have tested positive for EV-D68. About one third have tested positive for an enterovirus or rhinovirus other than EV-D68.

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