The respiratory sickness that’s been plaguing hundreds of American children and has caused the death of two young kids, has now killed an otherwise healthy 25-year-old Canadian man Reuben Deuling. Enterovirus D68 caused Deuling to have a massive asthma attack, which ultimately killed him earlier this week, reminding the public that adults are not immune.

“It’s not known to what extent D68 may have caused or contributed to this death, but either way, this is a tragic loss for the family and our heartfelt condolences go out to them,” infectious disease specialist Dr. Danuta Skowronski said in a teleconference, according to Canada's CTV News. “You or I, or anybody that’s healthy, it’s not a big deal. It’s just another virus that goes around every year. They happen all the time. In Reuben’s case, it triggered his asthma and he had a massive asthma attack.”

Since August, more than 700 children have fallen ill throughout 46 states in the U.S. There are several different strains of enterovirus, but The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that EV-D68 is the strain that's been most responsible for such a high spike in sickness and hospitalizations among children. This particular virus threatens children with asthma the most severely, which is why Deuling’s condition deteriorated so quickly in the hospital. His rapidly progressive respiratory failure had doctors scrambling to resuscitate him.

Skowronski said even though children are especially susceptible to EV-D68 because of their young immune systems and frequent exposure to germs, adults should not “consider themselves exempt” from contracting the virus. Canada hasn’t been tracking the virus, so hospitals aren’t sure if other patients have died from EV-D68 that was recognized as only respiratory failure. The illness may seem like a mild cold at first, but it can quickly cause paralysis, and morph into a more life-threatening condition in both children and adults.

“People of any age with underlying conditions, especially heart and lung, and notably asthma, do sometimes experience more severe complications when infected with respiratory viruses,” Skowronski said. Adults typically build up antibodies to enteroviruses after years of exposure from different, less deadly strains, creating what’s called “cross-protection.” It’s unlikely adults will experience an outbreak of EV-D68, but that doesn’t mean they’re not carrying the dangerous germs home to their children. Adults and children should be practicing healthy, hygienic routines by washing their hands three times a day and taking special precautions not to touch surfaces in public areas. It’s not entirely clear how this particular strain spreads, but other enteroviruses spread through contact with respiratory secretions such as saliva, mucous, or even feces.

The CDC has replaced their 9-year-old enterovirus test with a new and improved version, which will be able to identify the virus within days instead of weeks. “When rare or uncommon viruses suddenly begin causing severe illness, CDC works quickly to develop diagnostic tests to enhance our response and investigations,” said Dr. Anne Schuchat, assistant surgeon general and director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, in a statement. “This new lab test will reduce what would normally take several weeks to get results to a few days.”