Tulsa Doctor Addresses Outbreak Of Respiratory Illness In Kids

Hundreds of kids in the Midwest are sick from a respiratory infection. It's not confirmed in Oklahoma, but hospitals and the State Health Department are watching for it.

Enterovirus D-68 is the virus creating a stir all across the Midwest, attacking kids airways and causing concern because its unfamiliar.

A high rate of respiratory infections in kids has been reported in the central part of the state - up a little more than 2 and a half percent from last year. Here in Tulsa doctors tell us they're testing for the strain and wouldn't be surprised if they do find it.

"So far we don't know, because again, this is kind of a new virus for us that we're still learning about and so we are unaware of what potential long term affects would be," said Dr. Michael Chang, a pediatric infectious disease specialist with St. Francis Hospital.

He says they see enterovirus cases all the time - but the EV-D-68 strain brings on symptoms not seen in your typical cold.

9/8/2014 Related Story: Central Oklahoma Seeing Spike In Hospital Visits For Respiratory Illness

"But the main thing that I would watch out for in this case is increased rates of coughing than you might expect from a typical cold, and you know, certainly if you notice trouble with wheezing or that they seem to be working harder to breathe," Chang said.

The breathing problems have sent sent some kids in Denver and Kansas City to the ICU, especially if they already have issues like asthma or cystic fibrosis.

"The medical community in general has known about it probably for a few decades, but it's just never been reported to cause such a big outbreak in the past," said Dr. Michael Chang, pediatric infectious disease specialist.

"There have been kind of clusters, but this kind of widespread geographic outbreak and the kind of number of cases has not been reported before."

Doctors say so far no one has died from the disease. The best way to prevent the spread is to stay home if you're sick and go to the doctor if you're having trouble breathing.

Also washing your hands and disinfecting frequently used surfaces.

Learn More About Enterovirus