Cases of polio-like syndrome are still on the rise, CDC says



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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.

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