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MINNEAPOLIS – Public health officials alerted doctors after six Minnesota children were diagnosed with a rare disease linked to the virus, resulting in reduced mobility or paralysis of the arms and legs.
The six cases of acute flaccid myelitis (AM) have been reported since September 20, prompting the Minnesota Department of Health to ask doctors to monitor the disorder, which has serious but mysterious consequences.
"It's very rare and it's certainly something we take very seriously," said Kris Ehresmann, who heads the infectious diseases section of the Department of Health. "It's a very devastating situation" for children and their families, she said.
The disease attacks the nervous system via the spinal cord. Symptoms usually include sudden weakness of the arms or legs and loss of muscle reflexes, but may also include droopy eyelids, slurred speech and difficulty swallowing.
The AFM drew the attention of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2014 after the discovery of case groups in Colorado and California, linked to the spread of an enterovirus called EV-D68 .
Since then, states have reported a total of 362 cases to CDCs, some of which had no viral presence and others that appeared to be related to other West Nile viruses.
All six children in Minnesota, aged 10 and under, were hospitalized because of their conditions. They come from the twin cities of central Minnesota and northeastern Minnesota.
Ms. Ehresmann said she hoped that a more in-depth study of children – and any other cases revealed by the latest alert to doctors – could uncover common causes.
"We are looking for something in common, but for the moment … we have nothing to conclude," she said.
The cases are not even verified by the results of the laboratory tests. Ehresmann said it was the "constellation of symptoms" that united them.
The health department, which does not disclose the identities of those affected by such outbreaks, has helped families and their doctors connect with doctors in other states already dealing with the syndrome.
One of the families contacted the Star Tribune directly.
James Hill said his son was suffering from typical cold and flu symptoms early in the school week three weeks ago. At the end of the week, he vomited and stayed home. At the end of the week, his left arm was severely stiffened.
Hill said he and the other parents of sick children had gathered and hoped to warn others of the risk. "This disease leaves children paralyzed, sometimes in one limb, sometimes in the whole body," he said.
Although it is the largest cluster to have been reported in Minnesota, this is not the first in the state. Minnesota also had three cases in 2014, and zero to one case each year since. Nationally, most cases were reported each year in September.
AFM remains rare and affects less than one in a million children.
In addition to viruses, health officials suspect that the syndrome is linked to unknown genetic and environmental factors. Various treatments have been tried, including steroid-based drugs and immunoglobulin infusions to strengthen the immune system.
Dr. Ehresmann explained that the best protection lies in the common strategies used to prevent all kinds of viral diseases: washing hands, covering your mouth before coughing, staying home in case of illness, and keeping up to date. vaccinations.
The CDC is working with researchers nationwide to understand the AFM, assess the number of cases occurring before 2014 and determine why the number of cases has increased significantly from this year.
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© 2018 Star Tribune (Minneapolis)
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PHOTO (for help with images, contact 312-222-4194): MED-CHILDREN-PARALYSIS
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