A New Jersey preschooler who died in September has now been dubbed the first ever death related to Enterovirus 68, the virus that has sickened hundreds of children all over the U.S.

Four-year-old Eli Waller went to sleep on the eve of September 24^th and never woke up as health officials reported that he never displayed any symptom of having the virus before he went to bed that night.

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The enterovirus 68, which had already spread in hundreds of children across the U.S., is usually mistaken for a common cold as it has very similar signs but sometimes involves wheezing and breathing difficulties.

"I think Eli's case is the exception to the other cases around the country. He had no signs of any illness that night, and his passing was sudden and shocking," Hamilton Health Officer Jeffrey Plunkett stated.

On October 3, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed that the New Jersey preschooler had indeed acquired the enterovirus 68, as the Mercer County medical examiner also validated that it was directly related to his death.

His death was the first to be confirmed to be due to the virus that has so far sickened at least 594 young patients in about 43 states in the country.

In New Jersey, nine patients in eight counties have been confirmed to have caught the enterovirus 68 which has more severe symptoms for people with asthma and other respiratory illnesses.

"The most important message for parents is really to be on the lookout for signs and symptoms," state health department spokesperson Donna Leusner explained, citing that their website contains helpful information about the disease.

Eli was the youngest of triplets and was born "smaller and lighter than his sisters," said Andy Waller, his grieving father.

Reports indicated that though his two sisters were deemed to be "perfectly healthy," one of his classmates were being tested for possible infection early on Monday. 

Tagsenterovirus 68, Human Enterovirus 68, New Jersey, US, virus 68, Virus, outbreak