Case numbers of the rare polio-like illness acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) appear to have peaked, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The CDC on Monday said as of November 30, 134 cases of AFM, which causes muscle weakness and paralysis and affects mostly children, have been confirmed this year in 33 states out of the 299 cases reported. The number grew in this week's report by 18, but most of those cases happened in September and October.
The pattern of cases in 2018 follows one the CDC has seen in the previous 4 years, with strong emergence every other year: 120 confirmed cases in 2014, 22 cases in 2015, 149 cases in 2016, and 33 cases in 2017.
Most cases are reported between August and October and typically drop off in November. That was true for this year as well, with the number of people under investigation for AFM decreasing in recent weeks.
Reporting is ongoing and the CDC will continue to investigate and confirm the cases.
The CDC has been closely monitoring AFM since the first significant emergence in 2014. Since then, the agency has found that more than 90% of patients had a mild respiratory illness before developing AFM and that viral infections from enteroviruses are common, especially in children.
"We don't know why a small number of people develop AFM, while most others recover," the CDC states on its website. "We are continuing to investigate this."
CDC Director Robert R. Redfield, MD, announced last month the creation of an AFM task force to help define the cause of the illness and possible treatment options.
"I want to reaffirm to parents, patients, and our Nation CDC's commitment to this serious medical condition," Redfield said in a statement. "This task force will ensure that the full capacity of the scientific community is engaged and working together to provide important answers and solutions to actively detect, more effectively treat, and ultimately prevent AFM and its consequences."
The task force will make key recommendations to the CDC's Board of Scientific Counselors. It is scheduled to submit its first report December 6 in a public meeting in Atlanta, Georgia.
Medscape Medical News © 2018 WebMD, LLC
Send comments and news tips to news@medscape.net.
Cite this: Marcia Frellick. Acute Flaccid Myelitis Cases Have Peaked for the Year, CDC says - Medscape - Dec 04, 2018.
Comments