[Costello:] Hundreds of children have been hospitalized throughout the country thanks to a severe respiratory infection that's shelling up from the Midwest all the way down to the southeast. Doctors in 10 states have reached out to the CDC for assistance in treating Enterovirus EV-D68. The virus has been around since the '60s but doctors are trying to figure what's making this outbreak so severe. Symptoms are like having a cold but much worse including fever, body aches, sneezing and difficulty breathing.
[Dr. William Schaffner, Vanderbilt Medical Center:] You know, Enterovirus is a group and there are many, many of them circulate most prominently end of the summer, beginning of the fall, just now. Why one virus or another crops up in one part of the country or another part of the country from one year to the next is inexplicable. Its a mystery to me. It's passed readily from child to child. They're the ones that are most susceptible and you really get very large outbreaks of these infections when they do occur.
[Costello:] Ana Cabrera is here with more. I'm sure with parents hearing that didn't provide them much comfort, right?
[Ana Cabrera, Cnn Correspondent:] It can be alarming, certainly, and unfortunately it's a mystery, as we heard that doctor just say. We are hearing from other doctors who are calling this situation unprecedented, saying they have never seen anything quite like this when it comes to the number of kids affected and the severity. And unfortunately the CDC says this could just be the tip of the iceberg because they still don't know all the answers. But here's what we do know. There is a nasty respiratory bug that is spreading, spreading very quickly. It's believed to be this Enterovirus D 68. The symptoms starting out as maybe the common cold, you might experience some coughing, a rash, maybe a fever even. But then it escalates very quickly, becoming wheezing and difficulty breathing, especially for children who have asthma. Those symptoms get severe. We know at least dozens of children have had to go to the ICU, being treated in the hospital in just the past couple of weeks needing supplemental oxygen, even a breathing tube in some cases.
[Cabrera:] And unfortunately these numbers are still growing. I want to give you some perspective on this. One hospital in Missouri tells us they're treating up to 30 children a day, 15 percent of those requiring intensive care treatment. In fact Children's Hospital here in Colorado has seen 900 since patients just since August 18th that have gone into the ER, urgent care. 86 percent of those children had to be hospitalized. We heard from one family. 13-year-old William Cornejo who has asthma. He was hit so hard by this bug he had to be airlifted to the hospital. Listen to him and his mother describe what happened.
[William Cornejo, Infected With Virus:] My head started hurting after my lung started sort of closing up.
[Jennifer Cornejo, Son Infected With Virus:] White as a ghost, blue lips. He just passed out. Had his eyes rolled back in his head and I had to call 911.
[Cabrera:] Again, ten states now believe they are dealing with this virus. From Missouri to North Carolina to Oklahoma to Colorado. They've asked the CDC to do some testing to help out with this infection. But unfortunately there are no simple tests, there are no vaccines. The bottom line is, if you want to prevent this, especially with kids getting back in school, that's one of the reasons that doctors think its spreading so quickly. Really the simple steps are to wash your hands often, disinfect surfaces and stay away from people who are sick. Some hospitals now, Carol, have made some restrictions preventing children under a certain age from even visiting parts of the hospital to try to get this virus under control.
[Costello:] Of course as you said, kids are going back to school so it's awfully hard to stay away from other people who may have this bug. Washing your hands, not many kids do that even though, you know, they say they do. It's a concern. Ana Cabrera, thanks so much. Still to come in the NEWSROOM, Atlanta Hawks owner Bruce Levenson is selling his stake in the team due to what some call a racially insensitive e-mail. CNN's Nick Valencia is following that story for us.
[Nick Valencia, Cnn Correspondent:] Yes, good morning, Carol. We're outside Phillips Arena where the Atlanta Hawks play. That fallout for Bruce Levenson in full effect this morning. We'll have the details of what was in that email after the break. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.