CDC officials said that 160 lab-confirmed cases of EV-68 were reported in 22 states across the country, originating in the Midwest. The three cases announced Friday are Michigan’s first positive cases for the uncommon virus.
Dr. Matthew Davis, the Chief Medical Executive for the Michigan Department of Community Health, said that the department has seen an increase in severe respiratory illness in kids and expects additional cases will be confirmed.
“We’re having a lot for kids fall sick with breathing problems across the state of Michigan,” Davis said. “We’ve known since about two weeks ago that a special type of enterovirus has been identified in other states and doctors across the state of Michigan have suspected for the last couple of weeks that we’re seeing the same virus here in our state.”