A rare polio like disease typically affects huge numbers of US children read more at here www.spinonews.com/index.php/item/1291-a-rare-polio-like-disease-typically-affects-huge-numbers-of-us-children

Cases of a rare polio-like disease that typically affects children are rise in the United States, and no one knows exactly why.

Between January and August of 2016, health officials reported 50 new cases of acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) an illness that can cause paralysis, with some victims requiring a respirator to breathe.

Like polio, AFM attacks the central nervous system, and thus far, no cure has been found for the debilitating condition. Early symptoms are similar to those of a cold, but can rapidly escalate into paralysis of large amounts of a child's body within a few days.

AFM has been associated with a strain of enterovirus that appears to currently be in circulation. Enteroviruses typically cause only mild illnesses in children such as summer colds and respiratory infections, but if they manage to get into the central nervous system, they can cause much more damage.

Dr. Kevin Messacar, a pediatrician and specialist in infectious diseases at Children's Hospital Colorado, said, during August to October we see more acute flaccid myelitis and we seem to be seeing an increase in the cases that have been reported.

Since there is no cure for AFM, treatments are aimed at merely alleviating symptoms, but doctors say that it's still important to recognize the early warning signs of the disease and seek to care immediately.

From the CDC website, a doctor can tell the difference between AFM and other diseases with a careful examination of the nervous system, looking at the location of the weakness, muscle tone, and reflexes, to help differentiate such patients from patients with other forms of acute flaccid paralysis (AFP).

According to their website, AFM can be caused by a variety of germs, including several viruses.

The CDC recommends that, children should be up-to-date on all vaccines, though it's unclear how vaccines will help prevent the disease, since there is no vaccine that prevents the enterovirus linked to the current outbreak.

Some of the children affected have shown improvement after being diagnosed with AFM, but many will never fully recover and may be paralyzed for life.

The only good news is that since cases of AFM tend to spike during late summer and early fall, there will hopefully not be many more new diagnoses this year.

 

The best way to prevent disease in general is to build a healthy immune system naturally through proper diet and dietary supplements that boost the body's resistance but of course.