August 04, 2020 – 15:08
The disease mainly affects children. CDC Predicts “2020 Will Be Another Peak Year for Acute Flaccid Paralysis” or “AFM” in English
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Officials with the state-run Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) alerted parents and doctors on Tuesday to the probable return of a very rare neurological condition called acute flaccid paralysis, possibly caused by a virus and that mysteriously come back every two years.
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The disease mainly affects children. The CDC predicts that “2020 will be another peak year for acute flaccid paralysis” or “AFM” in English.
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“The AFM is a medical emergency that requires immediate medical attention and immediate monitoring,” CDC Director Robert Redfield said in statements to the press on Tuesday, imploring parents not to hesitate to hospitalize their children despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
Peaks of the disease have occurred every two years from August to November since 2014. In 2018, 238 cases were identified in the United States, with an average age of five years.
Doctors are helpless: the disease can cause paralysis in a matter of hours or days, and no treatment has shown efficacy.
“Unfortunately, many children with AFM will have permanent disabilities,” said Thomas Clark, a CDC pediatrician and assistant director for viral illness. “It is very important that children start rehabilitation very quickly,” stressed the specialist.
– SOURCE: With information from AFP–
