State Health Officials Believe Respiratory Virus Present In Arizona

By Dennis Lambert
Published: Wednesday, September 17, 2014 - 7:38am

State health officials are waiting for test results from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to positively determine whether enterovirus has arrived in Arizona.

But epidemiologist Jessica Rigler says it’s likely enterovirus is behind a recent increase in the hospitalization of children with severe respiratory illnesses.

“We’re especially concerned about children with respiratory issues already, such as asthma, because we know that this virus is causing more severe respiratory illnesses like trouble breathing, wheezing, and labored breath," Rigler said.

Rigler said while children are more susceptible to the disease, adults are not immune. She said the best precautions are hand-washing, staying home when you’re sick and keeping your kids home when they’re sick, covering coughs and sneezes, staying away from those who are sick and cleaning and disinfecting surfaces in your home.