VANCOUVER -- An uncommon respiratory virus that is sweeping across parts of the United States has been confirmed in three people in British Columbia, but the province's health minister says there's no reason to panic.
Terry Lake said two of the cases of enterovirus D68 are in the Fraser Health region and a third has surfaced in the Interior.
"(They're) certainly much lower numbers than they're seeing in Alberta or that they have seen in the United States," Lake said, adding patients who end up in hospital are isolated.
"It's handled much the same way other infectious respiratory diseases are and there are protocols in place."
The three-week provincewide school strike has likely prevented the virus from spreading, Lake said.
The BC Centre for Disease Control said the three people infected with the virus are being treated in the Vancouver area.
Also called EV-D68, the virus has been confirmed in 130 children in 12 American states since mid-August, causing severe respiratory illnesses.
Alberta health officials have confirmed that 18 children in the province are sick with the virus, although Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. James Talbot said more tests need to be done to determine if it's the same strain that is causing the outbreak in the U.S.
The D68 strain causes symptoms similar to the common cold, but children with pre-existing respiratory conditions such as asthma may suffer more serious symptoms if infected.
