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According to press reports, more and more cases of rare polio-like illnesses are reported across the country.
In recent weeks, six cases of the disease, known as Acute Flaccid Myelitis (AD), have been diagnosed in children in Minnesota – a state that typically sees less than one case of MFA annually. , according to the Minnesota Department of Health. On Tuesday (Oct. 9), a Pittsburgh hospital announced that he is currently treating three children suspected of having AFM, according to local media KDKA. And yesterday (October 10), the Illinois Department of Public Health announced that he had received recent information that nine children had been diagnosed with an illness.
Also this week, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment announced that 14 cases of AFM have occurred in the state this year.
AFM is a condition that affects the nervous system and causes muscle weakness, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In particular, this condition can lead to weakness of the arms and legs, loss of muscle tone and reflex problems. Other symptoms include facial relaxation, difficulty moving the eyes, difficulty swallowing, and speech disturbances, the CDC explains. Most cases are in children.
The disease is not new, but the authorities began to see an increase in the number of cases in 2014. Since then, more than 350 cases of the disease have been reported in the United States over a four-year period. So far this year, there have been 38 cases in 16 states, says the CDC.
The cause of the AFM and the reason for the increase in the number of cases starting in 2014 are not known. However, the 2014 cases coincided with a national outbreak of respiratory disease caused by a virus called enterovirus D68. AFM may have a variety of causes, including viruses (such as poliovirus and enteroviruses), environmental toxins, and genetic disorders, says the CDC.
The disease is still very rare and affects less than one in a million people in the United States each year, says the CDC.
Originally published on Science live.
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