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Source: http://www.startribune.com/six-minne...der/495281011/
Six Minnesota kids suffer rare, polio-like disorder
By Jeremy Olson Star Tribune
October 5, 2018 — 8:06pm
State health officials have issued an alert to doctors after six Minnesota children were diagnosed with a rare, polio-like disorder that causes reduced mobility or paralysis in the arms and legs.
All six cases of acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) have been reported since Sep. 20, prompting the Minnesota Department of Health to ask doctors to be on the lookout for the disorder, which has severe consequences but mysterious origins.
"It is very rare and it is certainly something we're taking very seriously," said Kris Ehresmann, who directs the Health Department's infectious disease section. "It's a very devastating situation" for the children and their families, she said...
...AFM came to the attention of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2014 after clusters of cases were discovered in Colorado and California and linked to the spread of a type of virus known as EV-D68. States have since reported 362 cases, some with no viral presence and some that seemed linked to other West Nile-type viruses.
The six Minnesota children, all 10 and younger, were hospitalized due to their conditions. They come from the Twin Cities, central Minnesota and northeastern Minnesota. Several of the parents contacted the Star Tribune directly, hoping that news coverage would prompt parents to take precautions and doctors and hospitals to identify the condition quickly when they encounter it.
Ehresmann said she hopes that closer study of the children — and any other cases uncovered through the latest alert to doctors — could uncover causes.
"We're looking into any kind of commonality, but at this point … we don't have anything to wrap up in a bow," she said.
The cases aren't even verified by lab test results. Ehresmman said it's the "constellation of symptoms" that ties them together...
Six Minnesota kids suffer rare, polio-like disorder
By Jeremy Olson Star Tribune
October 5, 2018 — 8:06pm
State health officials have issued an alert to doctors after six Minnesota children were diagnosed with a rare, polio-like disorder that causes reduced mobility or paralysis in the arms and legs.
All six cases of acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) have been reported since Sep. 20, prompting the Minnesota Department of Health to ask doctors to be on the lookout for the disorder, which has severe consequences but mysterious origins.
"It is very rare and it is certainly something we're taking very seriously," said Kris Ehresmann, who directs the Health Department's infectious disease section. "It's a very devastating situation" for the children and their families, she said...
...AFM came to the attention of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2014 after clusters of cases were discovered in Colorado and California and linked to the spread of a type of virus known as EV-D68. States have since reported 362 cases, some with no viral presence and some that seemed linked to other West Nile-type viruses.
The six Minnesota children, all 10 and younger, were hospitalized due to their conditions. They come from the Twin Cities, central Minnesota and northeastern Minnesota. Several of the parents contacted the Star Tribune directly, hoping that news coverage would prompt parents to take precautions and doctors and hospitals to identify the condition quickly when they encounter it.
Ehresmann said she hopes that closer study of the children — and any other cases uncovered through the latest alert to doctors — could uncover causes.
"We're looking into any kind of commonality, but at this point … we don't have anything to wrap up in a bow," she said.
The cases aren't even verified by lab test results. Ehresmman said it's the "constellation of symptoms" that ties them together...
