|
CDC
officials have said they do not know what causes acute flaccid
myelitis or AFM, which affects the nervous system and triggers
weakness and even paralysis in one or more limbs. The vast
majority of patients are children.
In 2014, when 120 patients were diagnosed, the CDC began
investigating cases of the disease, which it estimates affects
one out of 1 million people in the United States.
Since 2014, the number of cases has spiked every two years in
the United States. Last year, the nation had 33 confirmed cases,
while in 2016 it had 149.
"It is pretty concerning that it's going up and we still haven't
figured out specifically how to prevent this or how to treat
it," Dr. Emmanuelle Tiongson, pediatric neurologist at
Children's Hospital Los Angeles who has evaluated and treated
patients with the condition, said in a phone interview.
One phenomenon researchers have observed is the illness is
particularly prevalent between August and October, a period when
many viruses commonly circulate, according to the CDC.
The disease could be spread through infection, which would
explain why there have been clusters of cases in certain states,
Tiongson said.
The CDC on Monday provided a state-by-state breakdown of cases
for the first time this year.
Colorado reported 15 confirmed cases of the disease and Texas
had 14, followed by Pennsylvania, Ohio, Washington state and
Minnesota, which each had eight cases, according to the CDC.
States with large populations or good methods for reporting the
disease are more likely to have a larger number of cases,
according to the CDC.
In some patients, the partial paralysis they suffer due to the
illness will be a lifelong condition, Tiongson said.
(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles; Editing by Lisa
Shumaker)
[© 2018 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2018 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|
|
