Three hospitals in Connecticut are treating several cases of severe respiratory illness in young children that could be caused by enterovirus, Bill Gerrish, spokesman for the state Department of Public Health, said Monday.

The health department did not identify the hospitals, but media reports said that one is the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center in Hartford. No cases have been treated at The William W. Backus Hospital in Norwich or Lawrence + Memorial Hospital in New London, spokesmen at both hospitals said Monday.

Bonnie Mackenzie, physician in the Pediatric Emergency Department at L+M, said patients with mild cases of the illness have cold-like symptoms and usually recover within a few days without complications. Patients with asthma, bronchitis and other respiratory conditions, however, are prone to contracting serious cases of the illness and often need to be hospitalized, she said.

“It’s just more aggressive than the common cold if you have asthma,” she said.

The state health department said it is working with the three hospitals to facilitate testing for the virus by the Centers for Disease Control, and will share the results with doctors and the public when it becomes available.

The CDC said that from mid-August to Monday, 104 people in 10 states have been confirmed to have respiratory illness caused by the virus. Affected states include Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky and Missouri. The virus has also been confirmed in more than a dozen children in New York state. Infants, children and teenagers are most susceptible to the virus, the CDC said.

The Connecticut health department said it has asked clinicians to consider sending respiratory specimens for laboratory testing for enterovirus when the cause of infection for severely ill patients is unclear, and to report clusters of respiratory illnesses to their local public health agency.

Gerrish said the health department has also contacted the state Department of Education and school nurses with information about the virus.

“Severe respiratory illness is always a concern, especially when infants and children are involved,” he said.

Severely ill patients who test positive for enterovirus have difficulty breathing and hypoxemia — low levels of oxygen in the blood — with some wheezing, according to the CDC.

In southeastern Connecticut, emergency responders, police, school nurses and other health and emergency officials have been invited to a training meeting Friday in Norwich. During the 2 p.m. meeting at the Emergency Operations Center at the Norwich Public Utilities building at 16 South Golden St., Susan Dubb, public health nurse at the Uncas Health District, and Patrick Turek, regional manager for emergency preparedness for Hartford HealthCare and Backus, will answer questions about enterovirus.

Backus is “monitoring the situation” and the hospital’s Emergency Management Committee will meet Thursday to discuss actions that should be taken to prepare for the outbreak, said Shawn Mawhiney, hospital spokesman.

At L+M, the hospital has sent emergency alerts to staff to make them aware of the outbreak, Dr. Mackenzie said.

Dubb said the strain of the virus confirmed in the Midwest, EV-D68, is a rare form that has not been seen in the last 40 years.

The virus can be transmitted by coughing, sneezing and contact with nasal mucous or stool. Anyone with the virus can be contagious for one to three weeks after recovery, she said, and stool is still infectious for up to eight weeks. Thorough and frequent hand-washing and keeping surfaces disinfected after diaper changing and other activities is the best defense, Dubb said.

Mackenzie said anyone who is ill or has contact with someone who is ill should avoid sharing cups and utensils, avoid kissing or hugging and avoid touching the mouth, eyes or nose before washing.

Dubb said there have not been any cases that she is aware of in the towns served by the Uncas Health District, which include Norwich, Bozrah, Griswold, Lisbon, Montville, Salem, Sprague and Voluntown.

Russ Melmed, epidemiologist for the Ledge Light Health District, said he is not aware of any cases in the towns served by Ledge Light, which include New London, Waterford, Groton, Ledyard and East Lyme. He noted, however, that it is not one of the diseases doctors are required to report to public health agencies. Melmed said Ledge Light has not yet developed any specific response to outbreak.

“It’s emerging so rapidly, we’re taking a back seat to the state health department,” he said.

j.benson@theday.com

Twitter: @BensonJudy