[ad_1]
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said they were “predicting that 2020 will be the new peak year for acute flaccid myelitis (AFM).”
The disease, likely caused by a virus, can be permanently paralyzed and the development of complications such as respiratory failure can be life-threatening, the CDC noted.
“AFM is a medical emergency that requires immediate medical attention and monitoring. An emergency that requires immediate medical attention and monitoring can rapidly progress to respiratory failure,” CDC Director Robert Redfield told reporters in a conference call with journalists on Tuesday.
He warned parents that symptoms of the disease required immediate hospitalization of their child, despite the ongoing pandemic of COVID-19 coronavirus infection.
Most patients suddenly feel weak in their arms or legs. The disease affects the nervous system, especially gray matter in the spinal cord, Redfield said.
Since 2014, AFM peaks have been observed every two years, from August to November. In 2018, there were 238 cases of the disease in the United States. The mean age of the patients was five years.
Until now, doctors have hardly had the means to treat this disease, which can cause paralysis within hours or days.
“Unfortunately, many children with AFM will remain permanently disabled,” said Thomas Clark, pediatric director of viral diseases at the CDC.
“It is very important that children get rehabilitated,” including vigorous physical therapy and occupational therapy, he added.
Services are working to contact families of children with AFM in 2018 to find out how the disease has progressed and determine the current nature of their paralysis.
One of the first signs of AFM is fever and breathing problems. In about six days, weakness in the arms and legs is sometimes accompanied by gait disturbances, pain in the neck, back or extremities, according to a case study of the disease observed in 2018.
In addition to persistent paralysis, AFM can also cause serious respiratory complications. Almost a quarter of the patients required artificial lung ventilation.
Enteroviruses, especially enterovirus D68, have been identified as the main suspected agents of AFM in approximately 30 patients.
However, CDC experts say they cannot rule out the possible effects of other viruses.
[ad_2]
