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Of these, 62 have been confirmed by the CDC in 22 states and the rest are under investigation.
Acute flaccid myelitis, also called MAF, is a rare but serious condition that affects the nervous system – especially the area of the spinal cord called gray matter. According to the CDC, it affects less than one in a million people every year in the country.
According to Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the agency's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, the average age of confirmed patients is only 4 years old and more than 90% of cases occur in in children 18 years and under.
"The CDC are actively investigating the AFM, testing samples and monitoring the disease since 2014, when we saw a first increase in the number of cases," Messonnier told reporters last week. "Most MFA cases occur in late summer and fall," but no geographic grouping was found and there is no evidence of MFA. other "unifying factor to explain the peaks", which seem to occur every two years, she added.
The CDC received information on 33 confirmed cases of MFA in 2017, 149 cases in 2016, 22 cases in 2015 and 120 cases by the end of 2014.
It's also hard to know who could be at a higher risk of developing AFM, said Messonnier. The CDC does not fully understand the long-term consequences or reasons why some patients recover quickly while others continue to experience paralysis and weakness.
The CDC urges parents to be aware of this condition and seek immediate treatment if family members develop sudden weakness or loss of muscle tone in the arms or legs.
"It's a mystery so far, and we have not solved it yet, so we need to think broadly," said Messonnier.
Susan Scutti from CNN contributed to this report.
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