Unidentified respiratory illness hits children in 10 states

An unidentified respiratory illness has already infected more than 1,000 children across 10 states will likely spread across the country, according to ABC News. Officials suspect the disease is human enterovirus 68, which is related to the virus that causes the common cold. Ohio, Colorado, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Iowa, Georgia, Oklahoma, Kansas and North Carolina have all reported suspected outbreaks of the virus to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and requested support, according to Mark Pallansch, director of the CDC's Division of Viral Diseases. "This is a very common time for outbreaks. Kids come back to school, they like to share things, they bring them home to their little brothers and sisters, and enteroviruses tend to occur in the summer," said ABC News Chief Health and Medical Editor Richard Besser, M.D. "But this one, this particular Enterovirus 68, is very rare and they have no idea why it showed up this year." Article