Rates of enterovirus D68, a respiratory virus that can sometimes lead to a polio-like illness and paralysis in children, have risen significantly across the U.S. over the past month, new data show. Nationally, the virus is now being detected at medium ...

Scientists have found evidence that levels of enterovirus D68, which can cause a rare, polio-like condition in kids, has been spiking nationally since August.

Enterovirus EV-D68 poses a risk to children in the US with symptoms ranging from mild cold-like issues to severe conditions like paralysis. The virus has been detected in wastewater samples and is linked to acute flaccid myelitis,

A respiratory virus that sometimes paralyzes children is spreading across the U.S., raising concerns about another possible rise in polio-like illnesses.

Concerns regarding acute flaccid myelitis (AFM), a debilitating disease, are growing due to the spread of EV-D68, an unusual respiratory virus. Severe paralysis happens on rare occasions, but most cases are moderate.

"We are detecting EV-D68 nucleic acids in wastewater across the country now, and the levels are increasing," said Alexandria Boehm, program director of WastewaterSCAN. Historically, September has been the peak month for AFM cases.

Caitlin Rivers, an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, has voiced concern over the timing of the rise in cases. “...the time of year is right,” Rivers noted, hinting at the possibility of a surge in AFM cases this year.

EV-D68 is a virus that causes respiratory illness similar to the common cold. The virus sometimes leads to severe breathing issues and outbreaks of neurological disease (acute flaccid myelitis) that causes paralysis.