- Concentrations of enterovirus D68 are rising across California's Bay Area, according to municipal wastewater monitoring data from WastewaterSCAN.
- The respiratory virus typically causes mild cold-like symptoms but can lead to severe breathing difficulty or pneumonia in children and immunocompromised individuals.
- In rare instances, EV-D68 can cause acute flaccid myelitis, a serious neurological condition that leads to muscle weakness and paralysis-like symptoms.
- Health experts note there is no vaccine for EV-D68, advising frequent handwashing while encouraging residents to get updated flu and COVID-19 vaccines.
- The increase in EV-D68 cases coincides with San Francisco health officials reporting the city's first flu-related death of the season on October 1.
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