ATLANTA — The rare respiratory illness affecting children has now been confirmed in a dozen states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Tuesday.
The two newest states with confirmed cases are Oklahoma and Pennsylvania, which join a growing roster of states that officially have cases of enterovirus 68, a rare virus strain that can cause severe breathing problems.
The other 10 states, which have a total of 130 confirmed cases, are Colorado, Alabama, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri and New York. The CDC says the number of actual cases is probably much higher.
The CDC expects the number of infections to drop later in the year. Most enterovirus infections in the United States occur in the summer and fall, so these infections are coming at a typical time for enteroviruses, said Anne Schuchat, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.
