Public health officials in the United States have been sounding the alarm recently about a little-known illness resembling polio that's been causing paralysis in children.
Here in Montreal, a total of six cases have been confirmed by officials at the Montreal Children's and Ste. Justine hospitals.
It's called acute flaccid myelitis, or AFM — and the World Health Organization defines it as a "sudden onset of paralysis/weakness in any part of the body of a child less than 15 years of age.” It is also known as AFP, or acute flaccid paralysis.
"A child will develop a droopy face, or weakness in their muscles, and it's basically a lot like polio, God forbid," CJAD 800's medical expert Dr. Mitch Shulman says. "What they have is, a paralysis, acutely, suddenly."
The disease is alarming, because it mainly affects the part of the spinal cord that controls movement, and children are the ones typically affected by it. Some of the other symptoms include paralyzed limbs and slurred speech.
Dr. Mitch says like polio, the illness can lead to paralysis, but there is some good news here — the illness is extremely rare, and children do typically recover from it.
Medical experts are still trying to come up with a full understanding of the disease, but they are suspecting a virus is what's responsible — a virus which, like polio, is transmitted through contaminated water or fluids.
Dr. Mitch says the medical community is keeping an eye on AFM and its progression. In the meantime, he says kids should get into the habit of washing their hands regularly — as they should, in any case, during cold and flu season.
The Centers for Disease Control in the U.S. first reported a significant spike in cases last month — about 60 cases have been reported in 22 states just in the last few weeks, while another 127 cases are under investigation. Health Canada, meanwhile, says there've been five confirmed cases of AFM, and 25 probable cases so far this year.