The Massachusetts Department of Public Health confirmed Tuesday that an 8-year-old girl with a history of asthma is the first confirmed case of Enterovirus D68 in the state.
According to health officials the girl was treated at Boston Children’s Hospital and is now recovering at home. Due to patient privacy concerns her home town is not being disclosed.
The virus can appear as a severe cold with a runny nose and coughing and can be particularly dangerous for children with asthma. Children who do not have a history of wheezing are wheezing with this virus.
Of those who have been hospitalized across the country some have required sedation and a breathing tube. In one particularly severe case a teen developed symptoms on day one and on day two his asthma became so severe he turned blue and was placed on an emergency breathing tube.
Children under the age of 5 and those who have asthma are most at risk.
For more information on the rare lung virus please visit http://www.cdc.gov/non-polio-enterovirus/about/EV-D68.html
UPTON DAILY 