Hundreds of children hospitalized with respiratory virus in the United States
image sources, SPL
Enterovirus has symptoms similar to those of the common cold.
Hundreds of children across the United States have been hospitalized after contracting a respiratory virus, doctors have said.
The culprit is thought to be enterovirus EV-D68, which causes cold symptoms.
Ten Midwestern states, from Colorado to North Carolina, have reported cases in the past month.
Dozens of children were admitted to intensive care.
Experts believe the number of cases is likely to rise.
Enteroviruses are common pathogens and often do not require hospitalization. Symptoms are usually manifested by a bad cold, and the number of infections decreases in September.
But last month, several hospitals reported an unusually high number of cases in which cold symptoms were complicated by acute respiratory problems and in which the patient required hospitalization and, in some cases, intensive therapy.
