Four residents of a central Iowa home for physically and mentally disabled children have died this month from a virus nearly all of us survive. The children’s severe medical problems make their immune systems weak and susceptible to the common cold virus. State epidemiologist Patty Quinlisk says 34 residents in the facility in Johnston have been segregated to ensure others don’t get infected. Quinlisk says these cases serve as a reminder not to go visit an elderly or ill relative when you have a cold. She says a regular cold can advance in high-risk individuals into a life threatening illness.Sixty-eight children live at the care facility in Johnston.
