Enterovirus 68 Caused 4-Year-Old Boy's Death, Official Says

TRENTON, N.J. (TheBlaze/AP) — A virus that has been causing severe respiratory illness across the country is responsible for the death of a 4-year-old boy, according to New Jersey medical examiner.

The death of Eli Waller was the result of enterovirus 68, Hamilton Township health officer Jeff Plunkett said, citing the medical examiner

The virus has sickened more than 500 people in 43 states and Washington, D.C. — almost all of them children. Earlier this week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said four people infected with the virus had died but what role it played in the deaths was unclear.

Some children are especially vulnerable to infection because of pre-existing conditions, though the medical examiner said that was not the case in the New Jersey death.

Township officials said the boy's parents have asked for privacy.