A 10-year-old Rhode Island girl who died of complications of enterovirus is being remembered as a beautiful child who loved to play outdoors.
NECN’s Rhode Island affiliate WJAR and a local newspaper have identified her as Emily Otrando of Cumberland.
The girl died last week of a staph infection associated with the respiratory virus.
Her obituary describes her as a smart little girl who loved animals and reading.
Enterovirus has been discovered in every New England state except Vermont.
In Connecticut there have been 12 confirmed cases and in Maine the first child has tested positive for the virus.
In Massachusetts, Boston Children's Hospital is treating a handful of patients for muscle weakness or paralysis and looking into whether they are connected to enterovirus.
Rhode Island
The latest news from around the state
Back in Rhode Island, doctors say the girl's death is a result of a very rare combination.
In many of the cases the patients report difficulty breathing, but doctors do point out that this is not a new virus. So far it has sickened 500 people in 42 states.
