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by Maggie Fox
Cases of acute flaccid myelitis, a paralyzing condition affecting mostly kids, are still on the rise.
The latest update on the polio-like condition shows 219 reports of possible cases, with 80 of them confirmed, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. The CDC has reports from 25 states of AFM.
The CDC and other researchers say 2018 appears to be a year with more cases. Since a surge of cases was reported in 2014, there has been an every-other-year pattern of outbreaks. In 2014, the CDC confirmed 120 cases, but just 22 in 2015. Then case counts rose to 149 in 2016 and fell to 33 in 2017.
The CDC says it's still not clear what's causing all the cases. Some patients have been infected with a usually common cold virus called enterovirus D68, or EV-D68. But not all patients have positive test for EV-D68.
Outside researchers and doctors who have treated patients say it's clear to them that viruses, including EV-D68, are causing the cases. But the CDC says the case is not so certain.
"CDC has tested many different specimens from AFM patients for a wide range of pathogens (germs) that can cause AFM," the agency says on its website.
"To date, no pathogen (germ) has been consistently detected in patients' spinal fluid; A pathogen detected in the spinal fluid would be good for the cause of AFM since this condition affects the spinal cord. "
Some researchers say that spinal fluid is not the best way to find a respirator. They say they should be in the process of being swallowed, as well as in the blood and stool samples.
What researchers and the CDC do not know about the need for rapid testing and ER.
"We do not know what caused the increase in AFM boxes starting in 2014," the CDC says. "It is not yet determined who is at higher risk for developing AFM, or the reasons why they may be at higher risk," it adds.
A team of researchers in the country are pooling efforts to try to find out why AFM.
"We do not yet know the long-term effects of AFM. We know that some patients with AFM have recovered quickly, and some continue to have paralysis and require ongoing care, "the CDC added.
None of the patients has tested positive for polio, the CDC stresses.
There is no specific treatment for AFM, the CDC says. Once a virus has attacked the nervous system, there is no known medical intervention that can reverse the effects. Rehabilitation therapy can help patients regain function.
The CDC reviews the medical findings. To confirm the situation of a patient with a diagnosis of limb or paralysis, a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan that shows specific damage in the spinal cord.
Depending on which part of the spine is damaged, different muscles can become weak or paralyzed. This can cause a range of symptoms, from difficulty in lifting the arm to severe weakness of the muscles used in breathing. That can require a ventilator to help the patient breathe.
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