Yonkers has confirmed a case of enterovirus D68, the unusual strain that has sickened hundreds of people nationwide this year and been linked to several deaths, including one in New Jersey, authorities say.
A student at Cedar Place Elementary School was diagnosed with EV-D68 over the weekend, according to a spokeswoman for Mayor Mike Spano's office.
The student is being kept at home while she recovers, and her parents have met with the school, the spokeswoman said. The school was cleaned Monday morning as a precaution.
The student is doing well and recovering, officials said. No other information was immediately available.
The Yonkers school district website urges parents to keep their children home if they are sick with a fever, runny nose, sneezing, coughing, mouth blisters, a skin rash and body aches, all signs of an upper respiratory infection.
Last month, 4-year-old Eli Waller of Mercer County in New Jersey died of the virus.
Enteroviruses, which usually cause mild cold-like symptoms that last about a week, are common, afflicting up to 15 million people in the U.S. each year, but the CDC says this particular strain of the virus is unusually severe.
Infants and children are at particular risk, and though most affected people recover on their own and have no future problems, those with weakened immune systems or underlying medical conditions such as asthma may need to be hospitalized.
