Using ESSENCE-FL for Situational Awareness after National Reports of Increased Enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) Infections with Severe Outcomes, September 2014

In early September 2014, during the yearly increase in respiratory visits associated with the start of the school year, reports of more severe infection caused by Enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) in children in other parts of the country began circulating. Public health officials in Florida, as well as the media, questioned whether children in the state were being infected by this virus capable of causing more severe illness, especially among asthmatics. As is the case with many incipient outbreaks, syndromic surveillance played an integral role in early efforts to detect the presence of this illness