Four Oregon enterovirus D68 cases; 1 in Bend

State health officials on Thursday confirmed that enterovirus D68, which causes a severe respiratory illness and has recently spread across the country, has reached Oregon; one of four diagnosed cases was at St. Charles Bend.

Oregon Public Health spokesman Jonathan Modie confirmed to KGW four cases of the virus in Oregon. Three of those cases are in Multnomah County and the other is in Deschutes County. All four cases were confirmed in people younger than 17, Modie said.

“We are not surprised to find EV-D68 confirmed to be causing some illnesses in Oregon, given recent clusters of illness caused by the virus in other parts of the country,” Modie told KGW. “This is a virus that has been around a long time, and that occasionally causes severe respiratory illness.”

The Oregonian reports (http://is.gd/KHpOzk) the Oregon Health Authority’s Dr. Richard Leman said Thursday that all four were so sick they were treated in intensive care. He did not provide any details about their conditions.

Leman says Oregon public health officials have sent samples from 19 patients to the CDC for testing. Some test results came back negative for enterovirus 68 while test results for others are pending.

St. Charles Bend got confirmation from the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta “that one of our cases was positive for enterovirus EV-D68,” said spokeswoman Lisa Goodman.

The virus typically causes illness lasting about a week, and most children recover with no lasting problems, health officials said. Children with asthma may be more susceptible to serious illness.

The virus likely spreads similarly to the common cold, through sneezing or coughing or touching contaminated surfaces.

“The way you prevent enterovirus is the same way you prevent influenza in general and that’s do the simple things: Wash your hands, cover your cough if you’re sick and stay home if you’re sick from work or school,” said Dr. Richard Leman with the Oregon Public Health Division.

Symptoms include:

Fever
Runny nose
Sneezing and cough.
Skin rash
Mouth blisters
Body and muscle aches

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said a total of 678 people from 46 states and the District of Columbia had confirmed cases of the EV-D68. It has caused serious breathing problems in many children and is being eyed as a possible factor in at least four deaths.