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Mysterious Polio-Like Illness Paralyzes 20+ Kids in California
BBC News - Rare 'polio-like' disease reports
Mysterious Polio-Like Illness Paralyzes 20+ Kids in California - Health News and Views - Health.com
Doctor's are stressing they believe it to be rare, but if you see any sudden weakness to get your child to the doctor just to be sure they are okay.
There have been 20 suspected cases of the new infection, mostly in children, in the past 18 months...
A detailed analysis of five cases showed enterovirus-68 - which is related to poliovirus - could be to blame.
Parents who notice a sudden onset of weakness in their children should see their pediatrician right away, Van Haren advised. Physicians in the state should notify the California Department of Public Health any time they see a child with acute flaccid paralysis that is not due to diseases that affect the nervous system, such as botulism or Guillain-Barre syndrome, he added.
Dr Waubant suspects similar cases in Asia could explain why California is affected, but not the rest of the US.
Fellow researcher Dr Keith Van Haren, from Stanford University, said the cases "highlight the possibility of an emerging infectious polio-like syndrome" in California.
He added: "We would like to stress that this syndrome appears to be very, very rare. Any time a parent sees symptoms of paralysis in a child, the child should be seen by a doctor right away."
BBC News - Rare 'polio-like' disease reports
Mysterious Polio-Like Illness Paralyzes 20+ Kids in California - Health News and Views - Health.com
Doctor's are stressing they believe it to be rare, but if you see any sudden weakness to get your child to the doctor just to be sure they are okay.