JEFFERSON TWP — The South Butler School District told parents about a potential case of the Enterovirus D68, but the state Department of Health said nothing has been confirmed.

According to a letter sent to parents Thursday by Superintendent Mike Leitera, an “identified case” of the virus, also known as EV-D68, was discovered at the South Butler Primary Center.

Children and teenagers are most likely to contract the virus, which can cause mild to severe respiratory illness. It has no specific treatment, but symptoms are treatable and the virus takes about a week to run its course.

The case of the virus has not officially been confirmed yet by the state Department of Health.

Wes Culp, deputy press secretary for the department, said there are no confirmed cases of the virus in Butler County, but said there almost certainly will be more cases than those that are tested and confirmed.

“EV-D68 probably already has spread to some degree throughout the state, but we can’t predict how much more it will spread,” Culp said.

He noted that these kinds of viruses are common, but this is a rarer strain that authorities have been monitoring due to its increasing frequency.

Leitera said the case is not a cause for alarm, but he said it was best to share the information to dispel rumors. He said the disease is considered non-reportable to the Centers for Disease Control, but he said the district has notified health authorities.

“Additionally, we have taken proactive steps to ensure the implementation of best practices regarding the spread of communicable diseases,” Leitera said.

He said the district will clean all classrooms and athletic facilities with “a virucide known to be an effective disinfectant.”

Leitera said the CDC recommends frequent hand washing, avoiding close contact with those who are sick and disinfecting frequently touched surfaces to keep the risk of getting the virus low.

The school serves students from kindergarten to third grade. District officials did not return calls for comment.

The first cases in the state were found earlier this week in Philadelphia. Cases also have been reported in Erie, but they too are not official.

The Bethel Park School District in Allegheny County told parents Thursday that it had a case of the virus, but it later said it did not.

More than 150 people in 18 states have been confirmed by the CDC to have had cases of the virus between mid-August and Thursday.

The other states are Alabama, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma and Virginia.