Enterovirus D68: top 5 must-know facts

Enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) is one of more than 100 similar viruses called non-polio enteroviruses. Although many of these viruses are very common, only small numbers of EV-D68 infections have been seen in the United States since 1987. In 2014, a nationwide outbreak of EV-D68 affecting 1,395 people led to many cases of severe respiratory illnesses in children, especially among children with asthma. Outbreaks occurred again in 2016 and 2018. The 2018 outbreak caused 96 percent of people diagnosed to be admitted to a hospital with 58 percent going to an intensive-care unit. The reason for these spikes in EV-D68 is unknown.

Recent research also indicates that EV-D68 is the probable cause of a spike in cases recorded in 2018 of acute flaccid myelitis (AFM), a polio-like condition that causes sudden weakness in the arms and legs.