Acute respiratory illness due to EV-D68 increased in late summer 2022

In late summer 2022, for children and adolescents, there was an increase in acute respiratory illness (ARI) resulting from enterovirus (EV)-D68 in the United States, according to research published in the Sept. 27 early-release issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Kevin C. Ma, Ph.D., from the CDC in Atlanta, and colleagues analyzed surveillance data from multiple national data sources to characterize reported trends in ARI, asthma/reactive airway disease (RAD) exacerbations, and the percentage of positive rhinovirus (RV)/EV and EV-D68 test results during 2022.

In late summer 2022, the researchers identified an increase in emergency department visits by children and adolescents with ARI and asthma/RAD. During this time, there was an increase in the percentage of positive RV/EV test results in national laboratory-based surveillance and in the percentage of positive EV-D68 test results in pediatric sentinel surveillance.

"Clinicians are advised to consider EV-D68 as a possible cause of severe respiratory illness in children and adolescents, particularly those with wheezing or who require respiratory support," the authors write. "Past increases in EV-D68 circulation were also associated with increased reports of acute flaccid myelitis. Providers should have a high index of clinical suspicion for acute flaccid myelitis in patients with acute flaccid limb weakness, neurologic signs and symptoms, or neck or back pain who have a recent history of respiratory illness or fever."

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