A doctor who has treated dozens of children with mysterious polio-like symptoms, including paralysis, told The Daily Signal he wondered whether this was the 21st century version of polio.
If it is “in the early stages of evolution,” Dr. Benjamin Greenberg, a neurologist in Dallas, urged the Centers for Disease Control, “we can get ahead of it.”
The CDC still does not know the cause behind Acute flaccid myelitis, or AFM, a rare condition that affects mostly children, tackles the nervous system and is characterized by a sudden weakness in one or more arms or legs, along with loss of muscle tone and decreased or absent reflexes. It affected 138 people last year, with most patients hospitalized and some completely paralyzed.
The CDC wouldn’t discuss any details about AFM with The Daily Signal. But it has investigated the cause behind the paralysis and looked into whether it could have been triggered by the West Nile Virus, international travel, insecticides and vaccines, according to emails given by The Daily Signal following a request granted under the Freedom of Information Act.
Greenberg said children usually get better after the initial occurrence.
“It’s very slow, and it takes a lot of work. When we stay aggressive and we push and we stay with a routine, we’re seeing slowly but surely improvements occur,” he said.
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