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More and more cases of a rare polio-like illness are being reported across the country, according to news reports.
In recent weeks, six cases of the disease, known as flaccid myelitis (AFM), have been diagnosed in children in Minnesota – a state of the world by one case of AFM per year, according to the Minnesota Department of Health. On Tuesday (Oct. 9), a hospital in Pittsburgh said he is currently treating children with suspected AFM, according to KDKA. And yesterday (Oct. 10), the Illinois Department of Public Health
Also this week, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment announced that 14 cases of AFM have been in the state this year.
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AFM is a condition that affects the nervous system and causes muscle weakness, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In particular, the condition can cause weakness in the arms and legacy along with loss of muscle tone and problems with reflexes. Other symptoms include facial drooping, difficulty moving the eyes, difficulty swallowing and slurred speech, the CDC says. Most cases are in children.
The condition is not new, but officials started to see in cases in 2014. Since then, more than 350 cases of the disease have been reported in the US over a four-year period. So far this year, there have been 38 cases in 16 states, the CDC says.
The cause of AFM, and the reason for the rise in cases starting in 2014, is not known. However, the 2014 cases coincided with a national outbreak of a respiratory illness caused by a virus called enterovirus D68. It's possible that AFM has a variety of causes, including viruses (such as poliovirus and enteroviruses), environmental toxins and genetic disorders, the CDC says.
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The condition is still very rare, in a million people in the U.S. each year, the CDC says.
Originally published on Live Science.
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