Following a lab analysis of samples delivered to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) sometime ago, the CDC has confirmed the presence and outbreak of the Enterovirus-D68 in Ohio. The Enterovirus-D68 is a rare kind of virus that attacks the respiratory system in young children and teens, and although not critically fatal, most affected young patients still end up being hospitalized.
The outbreak of this deadly respiratory disease has been reported in other states, but this is the first time it would be confirmed in Ohio State. The CDC and the Ohio Department of Health state that the outbreak of the Enterovirus-D68 has been confirmed with several affected children hospitalized at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus and the Akron Children’s Hospital.
This infection mostly attacks children and teens and causes severe respiratory problems that ultimately results to hospitalization. The CDC reports that about 226 young people across 38 US states have been affected and hospitalized as a result of this deadly disease, and it is starting to become a thing of primary concern to many state governments across the nation. Most health authorities are ramping up their efforts to contain the disease and help out vulnerable children.
The outbreak of this respiratory illness might escalate in time to come if urgent steps are not taken to contain it, and reports say medical authorities are working round the clock to develop vaccines and treatment options for affected teenagers and young kids. It is hoped that this rare respiratory disease will not mutate to something else and turn into a nationwide epidemic before health authorities will nip it in the bud.