Cases have been reported in neighboring states, but to date Arizona has no known enterovirus 68, state health officials say.
Officials with the Arizona Department of Health Services aren't aware of any pending cases at this time, "but it doesn't rule out the possibility," says Jessica Rigler, chief for the state of Arizona's Bureau of Epidemiology and Disease Control.
Rigler says state officials are sending messages out to healthcare providers to be on the alert for severe respiratory illnesses. While Arizona can test for enteroviruses, it cannot type them, so identifying the enterovirus 68 would require sending samples out of state, state health officials say.
Whether it's enterovirus 68 or another kind, the treatment is rest and fluids, Rigler says. She says that prevention requires washing hands, not touching one's face with dirty fingers and staying away from sick people.
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"Just like any other respiratory virus, there isn't a specific treatment, just rest and fluids and preventing the spread of sickness to others," Rigler says.
