*World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland Global Distribution of Novel Rhinovirus Genotype Global surveillance for a novel rhinovirus genotype indicated its association with community outbreaks and pediatric respiratory disease in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America. Molecular dating indicates that these viruses have been circulating for at least 250 years. A cute respiratory illness (ARI) is the most frequent infectious disease of humans. Ordinary upper respiratory tract infections are usually self-limited; nevertheless, they result in major economic impact through loss of productivity and strain on healthcare systems. Lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) are among the leading causes of death in children <5 years of age worldwide, particularly in resource-poor regions (1) . Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus infl uenzae are important bacterial causes of ARI, although their impact is expected to decline with increasing vaccine coverage. Collectively, however, viruses dominate as causative agents in ARI. Viruses frequently implicated in ARI include infl uenza virus, respiratory syncytial virus, metapneumovirus, parainfl uenza virus, human enterovirus (HEV), and human rhinovirus (HRV).