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According to Lurie Children's Hospital, at least two children diagnosed with a rare but serious condition that weaken muscles and limit mobility are treated in Chicago.
The parents of Julia Payne, a two-year-old girl from Batavia, went to the public hoping to raise awareness about acute flaccid myelitis, or AFM, which causes inflammation of the spinal cord that directly affects the muscles of a person. Now, the downtown Chicago hospital says that a second child is being treated there, but that the family in the second case did not want to be identified.
According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, the two children are among the nine recent cases of MFA – involving all minors – reported throughout the state. Last month, the department issued an alert to medical service providers about AFM and how to report it correctly. Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which have been tracking cases in the United States, say the disease is not new, but say the country's public health officials have seen an increase in the number of cases starting in 2014.
It has been compared to polio because the disease can cause paralysis. According to the state's Department of Health, the causes of the AFM range from viruses to environmental toxins to genetic disorders. The CDC has not identified any germ found in any AFM case, according to its website.
Here are five things to know about AFM:
-How many children have been diagnosed with AFM?
Since the CDC began tracking AFM records four years ago, at least 362 cases have been recorded nationwide, according to the agency's website. This year alone, 38 people have been diagnosed with the disease in 16 states.
-What are the symptoms?
Like many children, Julia, Lurie's little girl, began to show signs of weakness and to breathe alone after a cold, said Dr. Marcelo Malakooti, medical director of the unit's pediatric intensive care of Lurie. But these are not the only signs: other symptoms may include a drooping eyelid or face, difficulty moving eyes, difficulty swallowing, and speech disturbances, according to the Department of Health. state health.
-What is the treatement?
There is no cure for AFM, but doctors can provide supportive care to patients. According to a medical expert, there is no vaccine that can prevent AFM or vaccine that causes the disease. A medical report detailing the case of a 12-year-old boy diagnosed with AFM indicated that taking care of his patients often involved the intervention of a medical specialist. infectious diseases, from a neurologist, an orthotist, a physiotherapist and a speech therapist.
For Julia, the doctors have done some sort of dialysis to clean her blood and she has a fan to help her breathe. She will soon be transferred from the hospital to a rehabilitation center where she will continue her physical therapy.
-Do patients recover completely?
Answering this question is complicated, said Mark Schleiss, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Minnesota's School of Medicine. He was among those who treated a 12-year-old man diagnosed with noncommunicable myelopathy last month at a hospital in Minneapolis. The child was hospitalized for five days and received intensive physical therapy in an outpatient clinic, according to the report.
The disease targets the area of the spinal cord that directly affects a person's muscles. Cells that are killed during the disease do not regenerate and cell damage is irreversible, Schleiss explained. However, patients can regain muscular functionality through physical therapy. Another medical expert said surgery was an option in severe cases.
-Is it contagious? Prevention tips?
Even though the AFM is not contagious, viruses likely to lead to AFM are. In Chicago, doctors say that Julia had an enterovirus at the origin of the AFM. On its website, the CDC explains that non-portable enteroviruses, which normally do not make people sick, and that they do, it's often common cold, can cause AFM.
"Scientifically, we do not understand why only some children will develop the AFM," Schleiss said. "Most children just have a fever for a few days and maybe a rash or diarrhea."
Experts say that good hygiene and that little ones wash their hands can prevent the spread of viruses and germs.
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