Doctors have just issued a warning about a rare polio-like disease that can cause partial paralysis in children, and it’s spreading around the United States fast.
As of last week, six cases of children with the disease called myelitis had been reported in Minnesota, and 14 children had come down with the disease in Colorado. Doctors are trying to warn as many parents as they can because the disease can cause lifetime complications, but very few people know anything about it.
The cases in Minnesota and Colorado are a very specific type of myelitis called acute flaccid myelitis, or AFM. Doctors believe that this type of autoimmune disease is triggered by a virus, and it ends up stopping the brain and the body’s nerves from communicating with each other. Many of the symptoms are the same as those of polio.
While polio can be controlled through vaccines, there is no cure for myelitis at this time. Though some people end up having to permanently use wheelchairs after getting myelitis, man children are able to regain their health within a year due to physical therapy and rehabilitation.
Doctors say that recognizing the early symptoms of myelitis is crucial, as children can die if treatment is delayed. In 2016, a 5 year-old died from myelitis.
The first signs of myelitis are generally flu-like, and dizziness, muscle-jerking, and loss of balance are also symptoms of the disease. Former “Dancing With The Stars” contestant and U.S. Paralympian Victoria Arlen knows firsthand how horrifying myelitis is. She got sick when she was 11 years-old, and she was completely immobilized within two weeks.
“When I started getting sick I was just confused,” she said. “I was asking why can’t I get out of bed? Why can’t my legs move?”
Arlen was trapped inside her body for four years, and she was only saved when an anti-seizure medication restored control of her eyes, allowing her to communicate with her family by blinking.
“I was terrified,” she said. “There’s no worse feeling than being aware but not being able to communicate or give your family any sign that you’re in there.”
Arlen went on to win three gold medals and two silvers at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London, England, and to compete on “Dancing With The Stars!”
“I was told I would never walk again but I’m kind of stubborn in that sense,” Arlen said. “I mean, you’re not God you cant tell me what I can and can’t do.”
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