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In North Carolina, there have been at least three cases of very rare disease that can cause significant weakness in the arms and legs, especially in children, public health officials said.
Other symptoms include facial weakness or weakness; difficulty moving eyes or drooping eyelids; difficulty swallowing; and speech difficulties.
The DHHS has not identified any individuals with the disease nor the origin of the cases. This position is similar to its policy of not disclosing details of influenza-related deaths.
In the United States, less than one in a million people contract the AFM each year. North Carolina had two confirmed cases in 2014 and four confirmed cases in 2016.
Dr. Rashid Janjua, a neurosurgeon at Novant Health in Winston-Salem, said more than 90% of MFA cases involved children under 10 years old.
"I want to point out to parents that it's a very rare case, one in a million," Janjua said.
"The symptoms to look for are those who feel a high fever and begin to feel weakness in the legs, arms or face," he said. "If necessary, an MRI of the cervical spine will help with the diagnosis.
"Unfortunately, the treatment is only beneficial," said Janjua. "Since this is caused by a viral disease, there is no need for antibiotics."
Although no law requires the AFM to be reported, the NB Division of Public Health is requesting reports of suspected cases, said the DHHS spokesman. Cobey Culton.
Health officials at the federal, state and local levels warned that there was no underlying cause of the disease.
Culton said the DHHS was working with the CDC to investigate suspected cases, test laboratory samples and provide advice to health professionals.
According to the CDC, "there are various possible causes, such as viruses, environmental toxins and genetic disorders".
"It's always important to take preventive measures such as staying up to date on polio vaccines, washing your hands and protecting yourself from mosquito bites," said the federal health agency.
The CDC said that MFA cases had become visible across the country in August 2014. The CDC said one child had died of MFA symptoms in 2017, the only known death.
Dr. Christopher Ohl, infectious disease specialist at the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. stated that the increase in the number of cases was mainly motivated by a better recognition of the specific subset of arms with a set of diseases that can cause nerve damage and lead to paralysis in severe cases.
"There is no geographic cluster of AFM, it does not seem to be contagious, it's not an adverse reaction to a vaccine and it's not related to polio "said Ohl.
"Some people may be predisposed to be vulnerable to AFM because of their genetics," he said.
Ohl said that children may be more vulnerable because they have not developed the level of immunity that adults usually have. He warned that adults can also fall with AFM.
"As we continue to learn the AFM, we urge parents to seek immediate medical attention if their child has AFM symptoms," Ohl said.
He added that national and local recognition of the AFM had also materialized from the rash caused by the enterovirus D68 of the respiratory tract virus.
The suspected germ is an unusual strain of a common family of viruses that usually strikes from summer to autumn. The virus causes symptoms similar to those of the common cold, such as runny nose, coughing and wheezing.
There were more than 540 confirmed cases nationwide in 2014, including 10 in North Carolina.
"In looking at the doctors looking for D68 cases, a small number of cases were sensitized to the fact that something else was happening that was AFM," said Ohl.
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