A mysterious polio-like illness is sweeping the United States, sparking fears of a potential outbreak.
Acute flaccid myelitis, a fever which leads to paralysis in children, was first detected in 2014.
Scores of children were infected, and more than 100 of those hospitalized have yet to recover.
Now, the CDC has issued a report warning there has been a surge in the number of children struck down by AFM this year.
The way the figures are going, experts fear this outbreak could be worse than before.
Scroll down for video
The CDC has issued a report warning there has been a surge in the number of children struck down by acute flaccid myelitis this year (figures from the report pictured)
But the medical community remains largely ignorant about what causes AFM and how to treat it.
‘You hate to be an alarmist, but there’s reason to have some concern,’ Dr Avindra Nath, chief of the section of infections of the nervous system at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, told The Washington Post.
‘What we don’t know is where are these cases. Are they clustered? Do they all look alike? Getting more information on these cases would be helpful.’
The term ‘myelitis’ means inflammation of the spinal cord.
Family doctor of a teenager who died after the warning signs…
The conjoined twins who even have matching BEAUTY spots:…
Transverse myelitis is the broad name of the disease, and there are various sub-types.
It is a neurological disorder which inflames the spinal cord across its width (‘transverse’), destroying the fatty substance that protects nerve cells.
That can lead to paralysis.
AFM is an unusual sub-type of transverse myelitis.
Patients starts with the same spinal inflammation, but their symptoms are different and the disease develops differently.
Primarily, AFM patients are weak and limp, while patients with general transverse myelitis tend to be rigid.
Most AFM patients start to struggle with movement of the limbs, face, tongue, and eyes.
Acute flaccid myelitis, a fever which leads to paralysis in children, was first detected in 2014. Scores of children were infected, and more than 100 of those hospitalized have yet to recover
They then begin to lose control of one limb or sometimes the whole body – though many maintain control of their sensory, bowel and bladder functions.
Unlike transverse myelitis, which has been around for years, doctors are still in the dark about why and how AFM manifests itself.
Last year, Keith Van Haren, a child neurologist at Stanford University School of Medicine, told The Atlantic that doctors don’t know how to treat or prevent the illness.
‘It actually looks just like polio, but that term really freaks out the public-health people,’ he said.
Although officials do not know the specific cause of the illness, the CDC reports that the polio-like illness is most similar to illnesses caused by enteroviruses, West Nile virus, herpesvirus, and the adenovirus.
Rebecca Whitney, of the Transverse Myelitis Association, told Daily Mail Online the organization has seen an uptick in families seeking support this year – particularly for children.
For families seeking support, families can contact the organization for advice via their website.
Whitney, whose child has transverse myelitis, also advised families to consider taking part in the study CAPTURE to help identify causes and treatments.
They also run a summer camp, usually in Scottsville, Kentucky, for families and patients.