While polio has been claimed to one of the few diseases that have been taken over by mankind, a few recent incidences have brought in the flashbacks of polio in form of a new mysterious disease. Having symptoms very similar to polio this mystery disease is taking over the US. The disease is called Acute Flaccid Myelitis (AFM) and it caused partial paralysis. The symptoms very closely resemble polio, however, the doctors do not know about the cause of the diseases and its symptoms. Not even the treatment options for this disease is known. AFM is not tracked by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in terms of its prevalence, but rather in outbreaks. What’s a Rare Disease? Here are 6 Strange Diseases You’ve Never Heard of Before!

However, according to reports by Daily Mail, the toll has reached 38 in the US, including most children under the age of 10. The report further describes the perils of 2-year-old who was diagnosed by the disease in the month of September. The little one is surviving on the respirator and the feeding tube after she developed a mild fever like symptoms and typical symptoms that are associated with polio-like the droopy face on one side and difficulty in using one of her arms very similar to paralysis.

What is Acute Flaccid Myelitis (AFM)?

A rare disease affecting the spinal cord, AFM involves the nervous system. It affects the nervous system that helps carry the message to and fro from the brain. According to the rarediseases.info.nih.gov, 'Symptoms of AFM include sudden (acute) weakness in the arm(s) or leg(s), along with a loss of muscle tone and decreased or absent reflexes. Some people with AFM report pain.' They further suggested that some cases of AFM may affect the nerves controlling the head and neck that also causes facial weakness, difficulty swallowing, moving the eyes drooping of the eyelids or speaking. In serious cases, AFM may cause respiratory failure if the muscles involved with breathing become weakened. AFM is more common in children and usually,  and the symptoms develop after an episode of a viral infection.

It is still not clear why only some people develop AFM after an infection and others don't, however, more and more studies and research can help find the right treatment options for the disease.

 

 

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 15, 2018 02:28 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).