NEW YORK (AP)-
Twelve states now have cases of severe respiratory illness caused by a rare virus, enterovirus 68, health officials said. Staff from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicated that Alabama, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, New York, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania together have 130 laboratory-confirmed cases. All patients are children. The virus can cause mild to severe illness, and in severe cases it is necessary to put the patient on a ventilator. Children with asthma are especially vulnerable. None reported deaths. The strain of the virus is not new, but only a small number of labs can detect. Since mid-August there has been an unusual increase in the number of identified cases. CDC has analyzed more than 200 samples from more than 30 states.