Enteroviruses cause 10-15 million acute infections each year in the United States. It is not known how many of these infection establish chronic infection.
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Enteroviruses are the most common cause of gastrointestinal illness in the United States each year.
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Enteroviruses are the second most common cause of respiratory illness after rhinovirus (common cold).
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Coxsackieviruses and other enteroviruses predominately affect young children, but can also affect adolescents, adults, and the elderly.
Chronic EV infections are more common in women than in men because women are exposed to children more, and their immune responses fluctuate more dramatically than men.
Chronic EV infection is more likely to develop over a period of several months, not several weeks.
Echoviruses (echo 9 and echo 30) was the cause of half of all U.S. EV infections in 2002-04. The prevalence of each strain can fluctuate year to year, as enteroviruses are seasonal viruses.
Enterovirus 71 can be life threatening because it can spread to the brain and spinal cord quickly. In 1998, an outbreak in Taiwan caused 78 deaths, and in 2008, EV-71 was responsible for over 42 deaths.
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