Virus Starts Like a Cold But Can Turn Into a Killer

I've been keeping an eye on stories about a particularly virulent strain of adenovirus (basically, the common cold) seen around the country:

Gilbert alerted state health officials, a decision that led investigators
to realize that a new, apparently more virulent form of a virus that usually
causes nothing worse than a nasty cold was circulating around the United States.
At least 1,035 Americans in four states have been infected so far this year by
the virus, known as an adenovirus. Dozens have been hospitalized, many requiring
intensive care, and at least 10 have died.
Health officials say the virus
does not seem to be causing life-threatening illness on a wide scale, and most
people who develop colds or flulike symptoms are at little or no risk. Likewise,
most people infected by the suspect adenovirus do not appear to become seriously
ill. But the germ appears to be spreading, and investigators are unsure how much
of a threat it poses.