Concern is growing over mysterious outbreaks of a rare polio-like condition in children.
7-year-old Quentin Hill is one of six kids diagnosed with the illness in Minnesota. It caused some paralysis in his arm and put him in the hospital. The condition is called acute flaccid myelitis, or AFM.
According to the CDC, there have been 362 confirmed cases of Acute Flaccid Myelitis since 2014. It’s very rare and typically affects the nervous system, specifically the spinal cord which could lead to paralysis in some cases. There is no known cause or cure but it may be related to the virus that causes the common cold.
“It seems that there are specific strains of enterovirus that may be more likely to cause acute flaccid myelitis in a small percentage of children that have it,” says Dr. Eric Robinette, pediatric infectious disease physician at Akron Children’s Hospital.
The spike in cases seems to happen every other year and always this time of year when kids head back to school.
Symptoms may include muscle weakness in the arms, legs and neck. Drooping of the face or eyelids and trouble speaking or swallowing. In some cases, it can lead to paralysis or death but Dr. Robinette says this is a very rare complication of a common infection.
The majority of patients recover, but it does take time.
“A lot of these people do require prolonged amounts of physical therapy to get their strength back up,” says Cleveland Clinic pediatric infectious disease expert Dr. Frank Esper.
Diagnosis includes a brain and spine MRI and a spinal tap to test fluid.
“But it won't tell us what's causing the AFM, which virus, which process, that part we still don't know,” Dr. Esper says.
University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital evaluated and cared for two patients with suspected AFM. Both were able to be discharged. They are working with the CDC and Ohio Department of Health to monitor the illness.
The Ohio Department of Health confirms that there were 2 cases in the state in 2016, 2 cases in 2017 and 1 case in 2018. All were confirmed by the CDC.
Akron Children's is waiting on lab results of two cases that seem to fit the "clinical picture" of AFM. And there are other diseases that mimic the symptoms, such as West Nile virus and Guillain Barre syndrome.
AFM is not a reportable disease, meaning there may be more cases that were just treated and the child recovered and AFM wasn't diagnosed. Now that doctors are looking for it, expect more cases to be diagnosed.
“Not because it's happening more it's just that we're recognizing it more,” Dr. Esper says.
The best prevention? Hand washing.
“Particularly after you go to the bathroom and before you are eating or touching your face,” Dr. Robinette says.