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A severe paralytic disease similar to polio, mainly affecting children, this fall a peak in the United States, although it is still extremely rare, announced the US health authorities.
After similar peaks in 2014 and 2016 at the same time of the year, the acute flaccid paralysis (AFP, or AFM in English) saw a few dozen cases in August and September, according to a point first published Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the authority that monitors outbreaks and intervenes to contain them .
A child with AFP died last year. Some healed quickly, while many remain paralyzed of the arms and legs.
The disease, against which there is no specific treatment, affects the nervous system, in the spinal cord.
"It's a mystery"explained Nancy Messonnier, director of the national center for vaccinations and respiratory diseases.
In total, since 2014, 386 cases have been confirmed, of which 90% are under 18 years old. The average age is about four years. This year, 62 cases have been confirmed – a number comparable to 2014 and 2016 – but the season is not over and dozens of other cases are being studied.
Theorigin of the disease is enigmatic. It is not the polio virus, confirmed the CDC, which systematically tests the stool of each patient. PFA can be caused by an enterovirus or rhinovirus but these viruses have only been found in a few patients, which does not explain the appearance of peaks at the end of summer. Geography also does not seem to be a factor, as confirmed cases are spread across 22 of the country's 50 states.
"We do not know who has the greatest risk of developing PFA, or the reasons that can cause PFA, we do not understand the long-term consequences of PFA," said Nancy Messonnier.
But about one in every million people in the United States is infected each year, she said.
"Parents should know that PFA is very rare, even with the current increase in the number of cases"said the manager.
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