Health Department Advises No Confirmed Cases of EV-D68 in Allegheny

Reports of a student at Bethel Park School District has enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) were in error. No cases have been confirmed in Western Pennsylvania by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“While our Department has worked with local hospitals to forward samples to the CDC for testing, we have not been notified at this time of any confirmed cases,” said Dr. Karen Hacker, Director of the Allegheny County Health Department.

An EV-D68 infection has similar symptoms to a common cold including cough, runny nose, body aches, and possibly a fever. Some children have been hospitalized because of difficulty breathing. No deaths have been reported.

Medical providers are not required to report suspected cases of the virus to state or county public health authorities, but officials have been working closely together to share information and help prevent further illness. There are no specific treatments or vaccines to prevent EV-D68 infections.