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MINNEAPOLIS – Halloween is a welcome treat for Dr. Mark Schleiss. When it's not at home, this professor of pediatrics at the University of Minnesota's School of Medicine often sees children when they are not in such good health. Recently, a subject constantly worries their parents.
For several weeks, an epidemic of virus that could cause weakness and paralysis of the arms and legs of children raises concerns at the local and national levels. This is what is called AFM, which is the abbreviation for acute flaccid myelitis.
"Acute means that it happens suddenly," said Dr. Mark Schleiss, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Minnesota's School of Medicine.
"Flaccid means that you lose control, usually an arm, or sometimes all the extremities in severe cases.Melitis just means an infection of the spinal cord, which sounds scary," said Dr. Schleiss .
The Minnesota Department of Health has confirmed seven cases of AFM in the state since September and, according to the CDC, there have been a total of 72 confirmed cases in 24 states this year.
But Dr. Schleiss says that what has been portrayed as a mysterious disease is not as mysterious as it seems.
"Anyone working in a children's hospital knows AFM well," said Schleiss. "We usually have one or two cases a year, and although we've seen that rise in 2018, it's coming right after a rise that's been going on for quite some time."
The CDC documented similar peaks in MFA cases in 2014 (120 cases) and in 2016 (149 cases). In each of these years, including 2018, the vast majority of cases were reported in September.
Nevertheless, the CDC is looking for a common link that will point to its cause.
"By the time a child is paralyzed by the AFM, the infection has already begun to develop," Schleiss said. "So it's hard to find the virus."
But that does not prevent health professionals from teaming up to find out more. The Masonic Children's Hospital of the University of Manitoba is now working with Minnesota Children's Hospitals, the Minnesota Department of Health and the CDC to provide information about their cases. They are also starting to communicate with researchers across the country to develop a plan, hoping to make the future a little less scary.
"A network of emerging interested and interested investigators is emerging who wish to work together to try to better understand this epidemic," said Dr. Schleiss. "We have been trying to create a network to test the assumptions on why this increase is happening across the country this year."
© 2018 KARE
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