before this month , we report thatsix children from Minnesotacontracted a rare , polio - like illness calledacute flaccid myelitis ( AFM ) , which causes sudden paralyzing weakness in the arms and legs . The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) confirmed an additional 56 cases across 22 DoS on Wednesday , and are investigating a further 65 .
Medical officials do not know how the disease is spreading or what is make it in the first place , but we do know that it primarily affects the young – more than 90 pct of patients are under 18 .
AFM attack the patient role ’s nervous organization ( and the spinal cord , in particular ) resulting in utmost impuissance of the munition and legs .
" Many times it can start with what looks like a respiratory illness , a little bit of a febricity , " Tara Narula , a cardiologist and aesculapian contributor to CBS News , toldCBS This Morning .
" The hallmark is sudden onslaught of weakness in the arms or the peg . Children can also have worry swallowing , fuss with their spoken language , facial droop , worry with their eye brawniness . " And in the most serious cases , it can be life - threatening . If it affects the diaphragm and interrupt ventilation , patient may be put on a ventilator .
These symptom are similar to the poliovirus ( which waseliminated in the US in 1979after a successful national vaccination program ) as well as non - polio enteroviruses , adenoviruses , and the West Nile virus . Doctors have try AFM sufferers for poliovirus but the results came back disconfirming .
Unfortunately , there is currently no specific intervention programme for the disease , though medics may notify physical or occupational therapy on a case - by - typeface basis . It is also not cognize on the nose what the long - term implications of the disease are . Some patients have recovered and others continue to experience paralysis , requiring ongoing care .
While AFM has made it onto quite a few headlines this twelvemonth , the figure of confirmed case is on a similar floor to those in2014and2016 . The disease appears to peak between August and October and spike on alternate years , but diagnosis has been on the rise since 2014 and scientists have no idea why .
In total , 386 instance were support between August 2014 and September 2018 . So while it is a chilling experimental condition , it is also extremely rare and affects less than one in every million the great unwashed in the US – even with the spike in cases .
Researchers are bet into a number of possible case from virus to genetic disorders to environmental toxins . The CDC is also monitoring the spread head of the disease and asks parent or guardians to seek medical attention forthwith if their child begins to get a sudden and dramatic weakness or loss of muscle tone in their limbs .
Adults can take preventative tone to protect children from illness as much as is potential – think : washing hand , using insect repelling , and staying up to date on vaccination programme .
