US CDC alerts parents & healthcare experts of polio-like outbreak among children this year

United States has issued an alert to parents and healthcare providers for an expected outbreak of polio-like disease Acute Flaccid Myelitis (AFM) in next four months, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a release. Reiterating a warning in CDC’s latest ‘Vital Signs’ report, release, as per ANI, stated, “Parents and doctors should suspect AFM in patients with sudden limb weakness, especially during August through November. Recent respiratory illness or fever and presence of neck or back pain or any neurologic symptom should heighten ir concern.”

AFM is a medical emergency and patients are vised to seek immediate consultation from medical professionals even in areas where COVID-19 cases have increased. CDC said that due to social distancing measures put in place to tackle COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s AFM outbreak could be delayed beyond August in best-case scenario. It ded that AFM cases, which is a neurological disease, could be fewer than expected.

AFM outbreak in 2018 left nearly 95% children sick

AFM causes paralysis and it has surfaced during at least two years since 2014, with largest outbreak being recorded in 2018 that left 238 people sick in 42 states. release reportedly said that nearly 95 per cent of AFM patients in biggest outbreak were children. However, re is no cure or treatment for disease. Early diagnosis of AFM increases effectiveness of measures to treat symptoms. se measures include physical rapy that help patients to regain use of paralysed limbs, said CDC.

"Pediatricians and frontline providers in emergency departments and urgent care centers should be prepared to quickly recognize symptoms of AFM and immediately hospitalize patients. Timing is critical at each step - prompt AFM recognition les to optimal medical management," release said.

Meanwhile, on August 18, CDC also announced a new Center for Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics that, it explained, “will bring toger next-generation public health data, expert disease modellers, public health emergency responders, and high-quality communications, to meet needs of decision-makers. new centre will accelerate access to and use of data for public health decision-makers who need information to mitigate effects of disease threats, such as social and economic disruption.”

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