Following a surprising increase in hospitalized youngsters in in the Midwest, several American state public health officials are looking out for a rare enterovirus strain that may be crossing their borders.

After hundreds of children and teenagers have been reported ill of a severe respiratory disease in Illinois and Missouri, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began conducting tests to verify if 10 other states have the rare human Enterovirus 68, also known as HEV68.

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A total of 10 states have officially reported an influx of cases of respiratory illnesses in the last month, leading to an investigation made by the CDC.

Though enteroviruses are very common, especially in September, the CDC is warning states that this particular strain is quite rare.

"We believe the unusual increases in Kansas City and Chicago may be occurring elsewhere over the weeks ahead and we want people to be on the lookout," CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases Director Anne Schuchat stated on Monday.

Millions of Americans are infected annually with at least one of 100 kinds of enterovirus, and most only experience minor symptoms similar to that of a common cold and do not require hospitalization.

However, the HEV68 strain is much rarer and more severe than other enteroviruses, having almost the same symptoms with a few additions like wheezing and difficulty in breathing that, in extreme cases, require mechanical ventilation intervention.

Suspected respiratory cases have appeared in clusters in different parts of the country, making it more difficult to determine how the virus is spreading and how far it can go.

According to Dr. Schuchat, reports indicated that only children and teenagers with asthma and weak lungs seem to be the ones vulnerable to the virus since no adult has been reported to have acquired the virus yet.

Recent reports on the virus spread stated that 12 states have already contacted the CDC to report on suspected HEV68 cases, while half have already been confirmed including Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Colorado, and Kansas.

States with suspected cases include Alabama, Georgia, Michigan, Oklahoma, Ohio, and Utah, whose public health officials are waiting for test results from the CDC.

TagsHuman Enterovirus 68, states, US, rare virus, respiratory outbreak, enterovirus, enterovirus 68, respiratory illness, respiratory virus, Virus, HEV68