BOSTON (WHDH) - Three Massachusetts residents have been diagnosed with acute flaccid myelitis, a rare polio-like disease, and several more cases are suspected, officials confirm.
There are now “3 confirmed, 1 probable and 5 suspect cases of AFM in Massachusetts,” according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
There are currently 182 confirmed cases of AFM in 39 states to date this year among a total of 336 reports that the CDC has received of patients under investigation for AFM, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
There has been a steady increase in AFM diagnoses since 2014.
AFM is a rare but serious condition that mainly impacts young children.
It affects the nervous system, specifically the area of the spinal cord called gray matter, which causes the muscles and reflexes in the body to become weak, according to the C.D.C.
Symptoms include:
- facial droop/weakness,
- difficulty moving the eyes,
- drooping eyelids, or
- difficulty with swallowing or slurred speech.
- loss of muscle tone and reflexes
- sudden onset of arm or leg weakness
There is no specific treatment for AFM.
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