BATESVILLE – As anticipated, the Indiana State Department of Health has confirmed four cases of respiratory Enterovirus EV-D68 among Indiana residents.
Testing was performed at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Several other suspect cases are pending testing at the Indiana State Department of Health Laboratory. Syndromic surveillance of hospital emergency department chief complaints has indicated a higher than expected level of respiratory illness statewide for this time of year. Several other states, including Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Kansas, and Missouri, have also identified confirmed EV-D68 cases.
EV-D68 infections can be mild and self-limited, but children with asthma are at risk for severe respiratory illness and may require hospitalization to receive intensive supportive therapy. Patients with asthma should carefully maintain their current medical management and follow their asthma action plan to monitor for early signs of exacerbation. People who smoke are also at higher risk for severe infection due to enterovirus.
The CDC recommends hospitals use standard, contact, and droplet precautions when caring for patients. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers are not effective against EV-D68. Bleach-based disinfectants, like those used for rhinovirus and norovirus, are effective for environmental cleaning.
Clinicians are advised to suspect enterovirus infection in patients hospitalized with asthma exacerbations or severe respiratory illness. The ISDH Laboratory is temporarily requesting that clinicians send nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs in the same transport medium from patients who test positive for rhino/enterovirus to the ISDH Laboratory for epidemiologist confirmation of disease in Indiana. Sequencing will be conducted to identify the specific viral strain. Nasal swabs and nasaln washes are not acceptable. Instructions for submission of NP and OP swabs to
ISDH for testing are located on the ISDH enterovirus page at http://www.in.gov/isdh/26487.htm under the laboratory specimen information section.
