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CDC Says Cases Of Rare Polio-like Illness Seem To Have Peaked

​The number of AFM cases spiked in September and October but began to fall last month, according to the CDC.

CDC Says Cases Of Rare Polio-like Illness Seem To Have Peaked
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Article by Ahmed Jawadi
SMS
December 3, 2018

The CDC said Monday cases of a rare polio-like illness appear to have peaked.

Acute flaccid myelitis, or AFM, is a neurological condition that targets the spinal cord and mainly affects children. It can cause weakness in the limbs, paralysis and even death. The CDC doesn't know what causes it but says it may be connected to certain viral infections.

The number of AFM cases spiked in September and October but began to decline in November, according to the CDC. As such, it expects the number will continue to fall for the rest of the year.

Nearly 300 cases of AFM were reported in 2018. The CDC confirmed 134 of those cases in 33 states, and another 165 cases are still under investigation. So far, no one has died from the condition this year.