Rare condition strikes local child

CELINA - A rare neurological condition affecting a small percentage of children in the U.S. has been confirmed in one Mercer County boy.

The Ohio Department of Health has confirmed four cases of acute flaccid myelitis in Ohio, one each in Columbiana, Cuyahoga, Pickaway and Mercer counties. Mercer County epidemiologist Deb Scheer said the local case was recognized in a hospitalized boy between the ages of 1 and 13.
  AFM is a neurological condition that affects fewer than one in a million people in the U.S. each year. It affects the spinal cord and is characterized clinically by a sudden onset of asymmetric limb weakness. A majority of cases were preceded by fever and/or upper respiratory symptoms. Other cases have involved vomiting and diarrhea. These symptoms tended to precede weakness by five days.

AFM has no known cause, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Officials are also unsure whether the condition is contagious. No deaths have been associated with AFM. Diagnostic evaluation for suspected cases includes an MRI of the spinal cord, lumbar puncture and specimen collection (i.e. CSF, serum, stool and respiratory samples). Testing should be done as soon as possible in suspected cases. Consultation with an infectious disease provider and neurologist also is strongly recommended by the CDC.

Parents and caregivers should seek medical care right away if their child develops sudden weakness of the arms or legs. Parents can help protect their children from serious diseases by taking preventive measures such as washing their hands, staying up to date on recommended immunizations and using insect repellent to prevent diseases transmitted through the bite of infected insects.

According to Ohio Department of Health information, all four of Ohio's cases were boys between the ages of 1 and 13. The onset of these cases was between Aug. 5 and Sept. 16, and all four patients were hospitalized.

AFM is not a new condition but is very rare. The number of cases confirmed nationally has increased from 33 in 2017 to 62 cases so far in 2018. However these are well below the 149 cases reported nationally in 2016. More than 90 percent of the confirmed cases across the U.S. have occurred in children age 18 years and younger. According to the CDC, cases of AFM have been found in 22 states including Ohio with onset of the condition between January and September of this year.