Scientists have found evidence that levels of enterovirus D68, which can cause a rare, polio-like condition in kids, has been spiking nationally since August.
A virus that can paralyze children looks to be on the rise once again. U.S. wastewater data is showing a spike in enterovirus D68, which can cause the rare, polio-like condition known as acute flaccid myelitis, or AFM. Outbreaks of AFM have followed spikes of EV-D68 in recent years, though documented cases have so far remained low in 2024.
EV-D68 is related to the poliovirus, which has long been known to cause a similar paralytic condition in about 0.1% of victims. And research has found that certain strains of EV-D68 have mutated to become more polio-like and more likely to cause AFM. Though there are other potential viral causes of AFM, scientists havethe arrival of these newer strains to unprecedented outbreaks of AFM in the U.S. dating back at least 2012. While hundreds of children in the U.S.
There is a curious wrinkle that’s emerged in recent years, however. Since 2012, relatively large outbreaks of AFM have appeared immediately following large outbreaks of EV-D68, which appears like clockwork every two years in the U.S. But the covid-19 pandemic interrupted the flow of many other infectious diseases,by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that year . And so far, AFM incidence remains low this year as well, with only 13 cases to date.
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