Hide Transcript Show Transcript WEBVTT ARE INVESTIGATING CASES AND MORE THAN 25 STATES. THE CONDITION COMES ON SUDDENLY AND CAUSES SYMPTOMS LIKE USING IS, TROUBLE SWALLOWING, FACIAL DROOP AND THE INABILITY TO MOVE AN ARM OR WALK. AS MERCY MEDICAL CENTER PEDIATRICIAN EXPLAINS, IT BEHAVES LIKE POLIO. >> IT IS CAUSED BY INTERNAL VIRUS. IT CAUSES THE COMMON COLD. MOST PEOPLE JUST GET RUNNY NOSE, SNEEZING, COUGHING CONJECTURING. THE VIRUS INVADES THE SPINAL CORD AND NERVOUS SYSTEM. THAT IS WHEN WE GET SYMPTOMS OF ACUTE FLACCID MYELITIS. KAI: IT DOES NOT SPREAD THE SAME WAY IT TYPICAL COLD VIRUS DOES. IT IS SPED THROUGH CONTAMINATED FECES AND A LACK OF HANDWASHING, THAT IS LIKELY WHY WE SEE IT MORE IN CHILDREN. ACCORDING TO THE STATE HEALTH DEPARTMENT THERE ARE FOUR POSSIBLE CASES OF AFM IN MARYLAND FOR 2018. THE CDC IS INVESTIGATING. NATIONWIDE, HEALTH OFFICIALS HAVE INVESTIGATED AND REPORTED 87 CASES IN 26 STATES. AFM IS NOT LINKED TO ANY ONE SPECIFIC VIRUS. IT HAS BEEN AROUND WITH SPIKES IN CASES IN PREVIOUS YEARS. DOCTORS DON’T KNOW WHY THE VIRUS INVADES SOME CHILDREN SO AGGRESSIVELY AND NOT OTHERS. >> THE LIKELIHOOD OF YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY HAVING AFM IS VERY RARE, LESS THAN ONE IN A MILLION. STILL KEEP CALM. WE HAVE TO BE VIGILANT AS PARENTS, TEACHERS, AS PEDIATRICIANS. IF YOU HAVE A COLD ACTING LIKE A COLD, IT IS PROBABLY A COLD. IF YOU HAVE A COLD NOT ACTING LIKE A COLD, THAT IS THE CHILD THAT WE SHOULD BE MORE CONCERNED ABOUT. KAI: THERE IS NO VACCINE FOR AFM AND TREATMENT IS ON A CASE-BY-CASE BASIS. THE BIGGEST CONCERN IS RESPIRAT Advertisement Polio-like virus being reported in children in Maryland, Health Department says Share Shares Copy Link Copy State health officials say there are possible cases of an extremely rare polio-like illness in children being reported in Maryland. It's called acute flaccid myelitis, or AFM, and it can cause partial paralysis.Health departments are investigating suspected cases in more than 25 states.The condition comes on suddenly and causes symptoms including dizziness, trouble swallowing, facial droop and the inability to move an arm or even walk. As Mercy Medical Center pediatrician Dr. Ashanti Woods explained, it behaves a lot like polio. "It's caused by something called enterovirus, and enterovirus is what causes the common cold. For most people, they're just going to get a runny nose, sneezing, cough (and) congestion, but if the virus invades the spinal cord, the nervous system, that's when we start to get some of the symptoms of AFM," Woods said.AFM does not spread the same way a typical cold virus spreads, from coughing or sneezing. It is spread through contaminated feces and a lack of hand washing, which is likely why it is being seen more in children, according to Woods. According to the state health department, right now, there have been four possible cases of AFM in Maryland this year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating. Nationwide, health officials have investigated or reported at least 87 cases in 26 states. AFM is not linked to any one specific virus and it has been around with spikes in cases in previous years. At this point, doctors don't know why the virus invades some children so aggressively, but not others. "The likelihood of your child actually having AFM is very rare, less than one in a million. So... keep calm. However, (you) still have to be vigilant as parents, teachers and pediatricians. If they have a cold that's acting like a cold, it's probably a cold. If you have a cold that's not acting like a cold, that's behaving more like meningitis, that's the child that we should be a little more concerned about," Woods said.There is no vaccine for AFM and treatment is on a case-by-case basis. The biggest concern is, aside from paralysis, is respiratory failure. ​<doc-sep>Story highlights Acute flaccid myelitis is rare neurological condition that can result in temporary or permanent paralysis 30 states had cases that were confirmed, suspected or being investigated, CNN finds CNN found 47 confirmed cases and 49 more that were suspected or being investigated (CNN) — This year, more than half of all US states have had confirmed or possible cases of acute flaccid myelitis, the polio-like illness that can cause paralysis and mostly affects children, according to an exclusive CNN analysis. CNN reached out to health departments in every state; 48 states responded, plus the District of Columbia. Of those, 30 states said they had cases that were confirmed, suspected or being investigated – including 15 states that said they had confirmed cases in 2018. In total, CNN found 47 confirmed cases and 49 more that were suspected or being investigated, for a total of 96. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which releases only confirmed numbers, says 16 states had 38 cases as of September 30. It does not identify the states. CNN found that Colorado had 14 confirmed cases, more than any other state, followed by Texas with eight and Minnesota with six. The states reporting confirmed cases are Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas and Wisconsin. States reporting suspected cases or cases under investigation are Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Washington. Acute flaccid myelitis, also called AFM, is a rare but serious condition that affects the nervous system, with a particular focus on the gray matter of the spinal cord. It affects fewer than one in a million people each year across the country, the CDC estimates. The agency has seen an increase in cases since August 2014. Although the cause remains a mystery in the majority of cases, the 2014 jump coincided with “a national outbreak of severe respiratory illness among people caused by enterovirus D68,” though it wasn’t found in all patients, according to the CDC. Other enteroviruses have also been found in patients with AFM. For example, 11 of the Colorado cases of AFM this year have tested positive for EV A71, a rare type of enterovirus not usually seen in the US, rather in Asia and other parts of the world, according to state epidemiologist Dr. Rachel Herlihy. “The most common etiology is probably a viral infection that starts off the process, and there’s probably several different viruses that can cause acute flaccid myelitis,” said Dr. Samuel Dominguez, medical director of the clinical microbiology laboratory at Children’s Hospital Colorado. In addition to viruses, potential causes may include environmental toxins and genetic disorders, according to the CDC, and it “can be difficult to diagnose because it shares many of the same symptoms as other neurologic diseases.” It is not a reportable disease in all states. Symptoms can include sudden limb weakness, loss of muscle tone and reflexes, facial and eyelid drooping, difficulty moving the eyes, difficulty swallowing, slurred speech and, in the most severe cases, difficulty breathing, according to the CDC. What happens to patients down the line is unclear; some recover quickly, while others may need long-term care. Get CNN Health's weekly newsletter Sign up here to get The Results Are In with Dr. Sanjay Gupta every Tuesday from the CNN Health team. There is no specific treatment for AFM, but treatments that have been tried include immunoglobulin replacement therapy, corticosteroids, plasma exchange and antiviral therapy, according to the National Institutes of Health. “This is a relatively uncommon syndrome. So I think that should be reassuring to people,” Dominguez said. “This is likely a rare complication from a common virus.” CNN’s Ben Tinker, Jacqueline Howard, Debra Goldschmidt, Naomi Thomas, Keenan Willard and Mimi Hsin Hsuan Sun contributed to this report.<doc-sep>An illness that causes paralytic symptoms similar to polio in children has no confirmed presence in Michigan but officials are looking at one possible case, a spokesperson for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services told the Free Press on Monday. Acute flaccid myelitis, or AFM, is a rare condition that affects the spinal cord, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Early symptoms include weakness in the arms and legs. It is unclear what causes AFM – research is in its early stages. According to NBC News, the polio-like illness is on the rise, with 87 possible cases in 26 states this year. The CDC counted 38 confirmed cases in 16 states between January and September 2018. Also on freep.com: PFAS-tainted foam 'getting worse' in waters near former Wurtsmith base Remaining Michigan Sears stores likely impacted by bankruptcy One of these possible cases is in Michigan. A spokesman for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, Bob Wheaton, said if AFM is confirmed in Michigan, the agency would contact the CDC for guidance on necessary action. He said that since polio -virus or West Nile virus may sometimes lead to AFM, according to the CDC, the best prevention measures would be the same measures to prevent any virus. Washing your hands often with soap and water and covering your mouth when coughing can prevent transmission. Vaccination can protect from polio virus. Contact Marc Daalder: mdaalder@freepress.com or on Twitter at @marcdaalder.<doc-sep>Cases of a paralyzing condition that affects mostly children appear to be on the rise across the country, an unofficial survey by NBC News has found. The condition, called acute flaccid myelitis or AFM, appears to be caused by a viral infection, but health officials have been unable to link cases with any single specific virus. It causes symptoms ranging from muscle weakness to complete paralysis. Health officials in 26 states tell NBC News they are investigating or have reported 87 cases of AFM. It comes on suddenly and can cause a variety of symptoms, including dizziness, inability to walk, trouble swallowing or trouble moving an arm. There is no specific treatment but if children show symptoms, they need quick care — especially if there is trouble breathing, as they may need a ventilator. As of the end of September, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had confirmed 38 cases in 16 states. CDC did not name the states, but health officials in Colorado said they had 14 cases in 2018 and officials in Minnesota confirmed six. State health officials in 24 other states have since told NBC News they have both suspected and confirmed cases as well, some of them reported after the end of September. An unofficial tally based on interviews with these officials shows 35 suspected and 52 confirmed cases of acute flaccid myelitis, for a total of 87 suspected and confirmed cases. “There are currently two possible cases reported in 2018 that are under investigation,” Brittany Fowler, a spokesperson for the Maryland health department, told NBC News. “We just had a suspected case reported in an adult male,” said Lynn Sutfin of the Michigan Department of Public Health. A spokeperson for the CDC said the agency did not plan to release updated numbers this week. It takes time to confirm a case of AFM. Viruses can cause a range of neurological symptoms and AFM is one of the rare conditions that can follow a viral infection. For AFM to be confirmed, doctors must determine whether the spinal cord is affected. The CDC has a list of tests to be run to confirm a case. “All suspected cases are sent to the CDC for review by their neurologists,” said Lara Anton of the Texas Department of State Health Services. Texas has confirmed eight cases of AFM this year. “It takes about a month for them to review a case and make the determination of AFM,” Anton added. “There are a few cases undergoing that process right now that are not reflected in the official case count. All but one of the Texas cases are children.” Alabama is investigating two possible cases, also. “We haven’t completed our own investigations yet to confirm it’s AFM so we haven’t reported to the CDC,” said Sherri Davidson, Alabama’s state epidemiologist. “It may take a month or two because there’s a lot of documentation to go through and an expert panel that needs to review.” Health officials will never have a firm count of cases of AFM because not all states require doctors to report them. South Carolina, for instance, does not require physicians to report cases, although clusters of cases — several occurring at the same time in the same area — would be reported, said Tommy Crosby of the state Department of Health and Environmental Control or DHEC. “Providers will often consult with DHEC when they suspect AFM as a complication of an infectious disease,” Crosby said. AFM looks very much like polio. “The patients’ symptoms have been most similar to complications of infection with certain viruses, including poliovirus, non-polio enteroviruses, adenoviruses, and West Nile virus,” the CDC says. Other viruses have also been linked with cases, including one called EV-A71. Both EV-D68 and EV-A71 are enteroviruses and are distant relatives of polio. New York reports an outbreak of EV-D68, with 39 reported cases, and has two suspected cases of AFM. "EV-D68 infection most commonly results in mild symptoms such as runny nose, sneezing, cough, body aches and muscle aches," the state health department said in a statement. "Severe symptoms, while less common, may include wheezing and difficulty breathing. In some rare instances, the virus can cause acute flaccid myelitis (AFM), a serious condition that causes weakness in the arms or legs. However, there are other causes of AFM besides EV-D68 and severe respiratory illness is a greater concern with this virus." The virus that causes polio has been eradicated in most of the world by vaccination, but regular epidemics once swept through, paralyzing thousands of children. Afghanistan and Pakistan are the only two countries where wild poliovirus has been seen this year, because conflict makes it difficult to vaccinate all children. In the U.S., “the increase in AFM cases in 2014 coincided with a national outbreak of severe respiratory illness among people caused by enterovirus D68 (EV-D68). Among the people confirmed with AFM, CDC did not consistently detect EV-D68 in every patient,” the CDC said. There are no vaccines against either EV-D68 or EV-A71. Since 2014, cases have risen and fallen. The CDC reported 120 cases of AFM in 2014, 22 cases in 2015, 149 cases in 2016 and 33 cases in 2017. “Surveillance has shown us that AFM cases generally peak in the months of September and October,” the Nevada state health department said in a bulletin sent to healthcare providers in August. “A biennial pattern has been observed, with the majority of cases reported in 2014 and 2016, and smaller numbers reported in 2015 and 2017. If this pattern continues, we should expect to see an increase in AFM cases in 2018.” The CDC says to wash hands regularly and thoroughly to protect against bacterial and viral infections, in general. This story has been updated the reflect the latest case count.<doc-sep>
More possible cases of a rare, polio-like virus have been reported, health officials say. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been investigating more than 360 possible cases of acute flaccid myelitis dating back to 2014. The disorder, which mainly affects children, can paralyze a child's arms and legs. The average age of AFM patients is 4 years old, Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said Tuesday. Brittany Fowler of the Maryland Department of Health told USA TODAY that there have been five possible cases of AFM in the state, all in children under 18. The Minnesota Department of Health announced six cases were reported in children under 10. The CDC has confirmed 62 cases in 22 states. The CDC said the cause of most AFM cases is unknown, but a few cases have been linked to other viruses. Symptoms are similar to poliovirus, West Nile virus and adenoviruses, which makes it difficult for doctors to diagnose. Symptoms include drooping face and eyelids, difficulty with eye movement and swallowing, and slurred speech. In severe cases, children might have trouble breathing and need a ventilator because of muscle weakness. There is one report of a child dying from AFM in 2017. More:What is acute flaccid myelitis, the mysterious polio-like disorder affecting kids? More:Rare, polio-like paralyzing disorder affecting children on the rise, CDC says There is no specific treatment for AFM, and the long-term outcomes for patients are unknown. Messonnier said she is "frustrated" that there still is so much health officials do not know about AFM. “We are certainly escalating our response this year," she said. Though cases have been on the rise since 2014, AFM still affects a small population – less than one in a million people in the USA annually. The CDC recommends people follow normal disease prevention steps, including staying current on vaccines, washing hands and avoiding mosquito bites. Follow Ashley May on Twitter: @AshleyMayTweets