- COVID-19 mitigation strategies may be to thank for the lack of acute flaccid myelitis cases.
- The mysterious illness showed up in 2014, and researchers are baffled by the paralysis it causes.
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Cases of acute flaccid myelitis (AFM), a polio-like illness that causes limb weakness and facial droopiness in children, baffled doctors when it first showed up in 2014. After six years, illness rates dwindled in 2020.
Dr. Sunil Sood, a pediatrician who specializes in infectious disease at Northwell Health, said the small number of cases is largely because of COVID-19 mitigation strategies, like wearing masks and social distancing.
Other respiratory viruses, like the flu, have also had a low-key season relative to other years.
“Almost every other virus that is transmitted among people have gone into hiding,” Sood told Insider.
Read More: The pandemic is damaging kids’ mental health. Here’s how parents can help.
Sood cautioned that once COVID-19 is no longer a threat, and people start to mingle, AFM and other respiratory viruses will return.
Families that are affected by this condition say AFM is a life-altering, devastating illness.
AFM is a mysterious illness that affects young children
AFM is a rare but serious neurological condition that mostly affects young children and usually occurs between August and November. Early symptoms include fever or cough, but quickly escalate to arm or leg weakness. The majority of cases end in paralysis.
Sood said it may be spread person to person, or through food or water.
AFM cases first started showing up in 2014. Since then, there has been a spike in cases every two years. "It's one of those mysteries of nature," Sood said.
In August 2020, the CDC predicted there would be a spike in AFM cases based on the past pattern, and said it was unclear if masks or social distancing would halt the spread. These strategies likely helped, as there were virtually no cases in 2020.
Considering the severity of AFM, however, parents should still remain vigilant.
How a fever turned into paralysis for a 6-year-old girl
Ryleigh Bradley, a six-year-old girl in Virginia, is one of 238 kids who contracted AFM in 2018. When she first ran a fever, her mother, Mallory Bradley, didn't worry too much because her two sons had fevers, too.
But Ryleigh's fever didn't stop, and she started to walk on her tiptoes. At that point, Bradley knew something was wrong. After being in the emergency room for three days, Ryleigh couldn't use her right arm. The next day, she was paralyzed.
"The only thing she was moving on her own was her eyes," Bradley said.
Ryleigh is a tetraplegia, meaning she has partial or complete loss in all four limbs, and needs help with everyday tasks, like bathing and dressing. Prior to Ryleigh's recent hip surgery, she was able to move her legs and crawl despite needing a wheelchair.
"She has this will to get back to where she was. She's a fighter, and she does it all with a smile on her face," Bradely said.
Sood wants families who are dealing with the illness to stay hopeful, as children have a better chance at restoring muscle movement than people who get paralyzed later in life. "They should continue very diligently with physical and occupational therapy," he said.
If you see early warning signs, seek care right away
Although neck or back pain could be caused by the common cold, Sood urged parents to go to the emergency room if their child's symptoms develop into limb weakness or drooping of the eyes.
Sood said the earlier a child begins therapy, the less severe their symptoms will be. Even if the child is in the ICU or on a respirator, moving the muscles right away will ultimately make the paralysis less severe.