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What’s Going On? - Hundreds of children in the Midwest and beyond have been rushed to the ER after being diagnosed with a rare respiratory virus. Read more about what is going on and whether or not it can affect you. —Kellee Terrell(Photo: Cyrus McCrimmon, Denver Post/Getty Images)

Photo By Photo: Cyrus McCrimmon

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What Is It? - Human Enterovirus 68 is the name of this rare virus that attacks the respiratory system — the part of the body that controls our breathing. The virus replicates cold symptoms, but it’s much more serious than that. In a few days a person with Human Enterovirus 68 can have severe symptoms that can have them in intensive care.  (Photo: Fuse/Getty Images)

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Treatment - Because Human Enterovirus 68 is a virus and not an infection, and antibiotics don’t work in treating people that have it. Doctors can really only relieve symptoms, open up the airway and try to get people breathing on their own. (Photo: Hero Images/Corbis)

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The Numbers - More than 1,000 kids have been affected by this virus in Colorado, Illinois, Missouri and Iowa. But other states including Alabama, Colorado, Michigan, Georgia, Ohio, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Kentucky and Utah have reached out to the CDC for help for concern that this virus is affecting kids in their state. Also, there has been a 12-15 percent increase in ER visits. (Photo: meshaphoto/Getty Images)

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What Are the Warning Signs? - Signs to look for include wheezing and coughing that worsens and won’t go away. Plus, look for having difficulty breathing as a key sign that something is really wrong.  (Photo: Getty Images)

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Human Enterovirus 68 and Asthma - Human Enterovirus 68 has a tendency of making asthma symptoms worse. CBS.com reported that asthmatic kids who have left the hospital for treatment for Human Enterovirus 68 had to be taken right back and put on ventilators, because their asthma symptoms had worsened.  (Photo: Clive Gee/PA Photos /Landov)

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How Does It Spread? - The virus is spread through respiratory fluids like saliva and mucus, much like more common cold and flu viruses. (Photo: Tom Stewart/Corbis)

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Preventing Human Enterovirus 68 - The best way to prevent this virus from spreading is by washing your hands, covering your mouth when coughing and sneezing and cleaning off surfaces with germs. (Photo: Getty Images)

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"Tip of the Iceberg" - It’s not known just how severe this outbreak will become, but the CDC fears that the serious cases are just the “tip of the iceberg,” CNN.com writes. More cases could come in the future. (Photo: JGI/Jamie Grill/Blend Images/Corbis)