[ad_1]
A mysterious disease with no known cause or treatment has resulted in the paralysis of a healthy number of children, reports the CDC, which is expected to experience another record outbreak in 2020. This disease is described as rare. but very serious by the CDC; it causes weak muscles and reflexes in the body, lesions in the spinal cord and appears mainly in healthy children. Officials ask more information from doctors about the state of the disease before the next anticipated wave.
Mysterious illness
According to the CDC, AFM is an epidemic that occurs every 'season', ie from the end of summer and early fall. The main symptom of this condition is the sudden onset of limb weakness and loss of muscle tone and reflexes, which parents are encouraged to consult immediately with their children.
Other symptoms of AFM include difficulty speaking and swallowing, weakness and sagging of the face, problems with eye movement, slurred speech and pain in the limbs. In rare cases, doctors have also reported symptoms of tingling and numbness and an inability to urinate.
In the most adverse cases described by the CDC as "very rare", AFM patients may develop "serious neurological complications" that can lead to death. Some patients may also need a ventilator to facilitate breathing.
Clues to the cause
Although vital information about this disease is still missing, the CDC reports that AFM outbreaks occur seasonally. The CDC has been informed of cases reported since 2014, during which it identified some common elements, including the fact that more than 90% of patients had fever or respiratory diseases before developing fatigue syndrome.
In addition, officials found that the number of AFD cases tended to be between August and October every two years (every two years) and that their numbers had increased every two years since 2014. There were 551 confirmed cases of MFA. , four of which included cerebrospinal fluid tested positive for Coxsackie A16, EV-D68 and EV-A71.
However, this represents only four cases, with the CDC reporting that no other patient had detected a pathogen in the cerebrospinal fluid. In addition, all stool samples received from these patients gave a negative result for poliovirus. There may be various reasons why managers have been unable to identify pathogens, such as the difficult detection in tissues or the risk that pathogens have removed the bodies of patients at the time of sampling.
Despite this, the CDC suspects that enteroviruses may play a role in the development of AFM, particularly because of their common presence in cases of fever and respiratory diseases in children. The CDC speculates that some people who contract enteroviruses may be genetically more susceptible than others, or that the virus may trigger an immune or inflammatory response to motor neurons. Alternatively, the CDC also investigates whether a virus can directly cause an infection affecting motor neurons.
Advocacy for information
On Tuesday, July 9, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a public appeal urging doctors to identify and report MFA cases promptly. The CDC notes that, based on the trends observed in recent years, a new AFM "season" is fast approaching and that if the past trend continues, next year the number of cases will be double from last year's.
CDC Director Robert Redfield said in a statement:
The CDC continues to research the definitive cause and mechanisms that define this disease and we sincerely appreciate the important contributions of the AFM working group to help us get closer to critical responses. I urge doctors to look for symptoms and report suspected cases in order to accelerate efforts to combat this serious illness.
By breaking down the numbers, the CDC indicates that the following annual cases of AFM have been reported:
2014: 120 cases
2016: 149 cases
2018: 233 cases
The 2018 outbreak was the largest so far and affected 41 states. Based on this trend, the CDC convenes outbreaks every two years and anticipates that the next record AFM outbreak will take place from August to October 2020. This gives officials about a year to understand what is happening, opening up the way to prevention and treatment. .
What you can do
Unfortunately, for now, the CDC states that no particular known measures can be taken by the public to prevent the development of the AFM. The lack of solutions is due to the unknown cause of motor neuron disease, but based on its current investigations, the CDC advises people to take the same steps they would prevent to prevent transmission of the virus.
This often includes washing your hands with soapy water, avoiding touching your face with unwashed hands, and avoiding close contact with sick people. On the other hand, you should help prevent the spread of viruses if you have symptoms. This includes keeping yourself or sick children at home, frequently cleaning surfaces touched by sick people, and covering sneezing and coughing (ideally with a shirt sleeve or handkerchief, not your hands).
Source link
