Polio-like paralysis strikes children in Canada, the United States

ELIZABETH PAYNE AND BRAD HUNTER

Nearly three months after arriving at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, suffering from a polio-like condition, a four-year-old boy has returned home and is preparing to go to school. school.

For Xavier Downton, life is a lot different than it was before he arrived at CHEO on September 4th, suffering from what his family thought was the flu.

The boy, who was eager to start hockey this fall, is now using a wheelchair – which doctors and therapists consider to be temporary.

"They think he's going to walk again and probably run again," said his mother, Rachelle Downton. "It just takes time."

And Xavier used his right arm very little, which forced him to become left-handed, which he masters very well, says his mother.

Xavier and his family face many challenges because of the damage caused by the flaccid acute myelitis, the rare disease that struck him on the weekend of Labor Day.

Acute flaccid myelitis, or AFM, is the term used to describe the sudden onset of weakness in one or more limbs as a result of inflammation of the spinal cord.

Xavier's story follows a new report on the mysterious and rare "polio-like" disease that appears in the United States and has now spread to 31 states, sickening at least 250 children.

Here, the Public Health Agency of Canada has confirmed the existence of 48 probable cases of MFA across the country in 2018 – 25 confirmed and 23 under investigation.

The perpetrators still have no idea of ​​the causes of flaccid acute myelitis (AFM), or ways to treat or prevent them.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is currently investigating another 170 cases of people with AFM symptoms.

Before getting sick, most patients had mild respiratory illness or fever, compatible with a virus.

None of the cases have been badociated with poliovirus, although the impact is similar to that of polio. It is a disease of increasing concern to public health officials this year.