Yonkers student diagnosed with enterovirus-D68

• A Yonkers student has been diagnosed with enterovirus D68
• Classroom, common areas sanitized, parents reminded to take precautions
• Since mid-August, 922 people nationwide diagnosed with the illness

YONKERS – A grade school student has been diagnosed with enterovirus-D68, a school official confirmed.

The school district learned over the weekend that the Cedar Place Elementary School student had been diagnosed with the illness, said schools spokeswoman Jerilynne Fierstein. Enterovirus-D68, or EV-D68, has sickened hundreds of children across the country and been linked to several deaths, including a 4-year-old New Jersey boy late last month.

The school's custodial staff sanitized the classroom that the student is assigned to and all common areas where the student might spend time, Fierstein said.

"They do regular cleanings in the whole school over the weekend," she said. "We just took a little extra care in those classes."

Fierstein said she had no information on the student or his or her condition.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed 922 people with EV-D68, which can cause severe respiratory problems, since mid-August.

Nearly two dozen cases of children with enterovirus were recently reported by the Maria Fareri Children's Hospital of the Westchester Medical Center.

Severe symptoms of the illness can include wheezing and difficulty breathing. Experts warn that it may also be linked to neurological problems including weakness and paralysis.

Fierstein said schools Superintendent Michael Yazurlo came to the school Monday to speak with parents about the steps that were being taken and to remind them and their children to take precautions such as washing their hands often and getting flu shots.

Fierstein said the incident was not alarming.

"We just wanted to make sure our parent community in that school was fully educated and we did that today," she said.

Caren Halbfinger, a spokeswoman for the Westchester County Health Department, said individual cases of the disease are not reported to her agency, which would take an interest if there were a cluster of cases.

The Yonkers school district website includes a warning on its homepage about the virus.

"We ask if your child is sick with a fever, runny nose, sneezing, coughing, mouth blisters, a skin rash, and body aches, which are signs of an upper respiratory infection, do not send your child to school," it reads.