Alameda County health officials confirm two cases of enterovirus D68

ALAMEDA COUNTY, Calif. -- Health officials have confirmed two cases of enterovirus D68 in Alameda County. There has been no information released about the identity of the individuals.

EV D68 is a virus that causes symptoms that are similar to a cold or flu, such as cough, sneezing, runny nose, body aches, or fever.

As of September 30, 2014, 472 cases of EV D68 have been confirmed in 41 states, including seven cases in California: six in Southern California and one case in Northern California.

In addition, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) are investigating a cluster of children hospitalized with limb weakness in Colorado; the possible linkage of these to the respiratory illness outbreak is still under investigation.

There are over 100 types of enteroviruses; EV D68 is just one of them and can only be detected by specialized testing at a small number of public health laboratories.

D68 infection may be mild, but in children with a prior history of asthma. It can cause serious problems such as wheezing or difficulty breathing.

Enterovirus D68 is thought to spread from person to person when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or contaminates a surface with their respiratory secretions.

To prevent all kinds of infections, including enterovirus infections, wash your hands often with soap and water for 20 seconds.

Hand hygiene with soap and water is preferred as alcohol based hand sanitizers have limited effectiveness against enteroviruses.