6 children diagnosed with paralytic "polio" disease in Minnesota

Since mid-September, six Minnesota children have been diagnosed with rare "polio-like" illness, health officials said.

Acute flaccid myelitis, known as AFM, affects the body's nervous system – especially the spinal cord – and can cause paralysis. Unlike polio, there is no vaccine against AFM.

Minnesota generally sees less than one case a year, reported the state health department. The disease usually affects children; all recent cases in Minnesota involved children under 10 years of age.

AFM can develop from a viral infection, although its exact cause is unknown. Symptoms include limb weakness, a drooping face and difficulty swallowing or talking. Physicians emphasize the importance of recognizing early signs of AFM and seeking care as quickly as possible.

The treatment is only intended to alleviate the symptoms.

AFM cases were reported for the first time in the United States in August 2014. By the end of this year, 120 people had been diagnosed in 34 states.

The increase coincided with a national outbreak of severe respiratory illness caused by the enterovirus D68. From August 2014 to August 2018, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention received information on 362 cases of MFA in the United States.

CDC believes that it is important to take disease prevention measures: keeping up to date on vaccines, washing hands and preventing mosquito bites.