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The article focuses on the prevalence of acute respiratory illness related to human enterovirus 68 (HEV68) in Asia, Europe and the U.S. from 2008-2010, which included fatal cases from the Philippines and Japan. It is in the Philippine's Eastern Visayas that an outbreak of HEV68 was seen in late October 2008, which affected 21 patients who were mostly 0-4 years old. In Arizona, the state Department of Health Services detected HEV68 in 5 patients from August - September 2010.

The article describes six clusters of acute respiratory illness related to human enterovirus 68 (HEV68) in the U.S., Europe and Asia from 2008-2010. HEV68 infection was reportedly linked with respiratory illness ranging from mild illness not requiring hospitalization to severe illness demanding intensive care and mechanical ventilation. Three cases, one in Japan and two in the Philippines, were said to be fatal. HEV68 disproportionately occurred among children in these six clusters. In August-November 2010, HEV68 was found within a prospective study of respiratory infections in the northern part of the Netherlands. Cases of HEV68 in Pennsylvania, Arizona and Georgia were described.