CHEO confirms cases of rare polio-like disease

CHEOis confirming two cases of a rare disease that causespolio-like paralysisin children.

Acute flaccid paralysis, also known asacute flaccidmyelitis,is experiencing a small surge in the U.S., wheremore than 60 cases have been confirmed in recent weeks.

Doctors don't know what causes the ailment, nor are they sure why it affects primarily children nor why so many new cases are being reported now.

"We have [had] two patients we have treated in CHEO for [acute flaccid paralysis] since the summer," said Dr. Sunita Venkateswaran, a pediatric neurogologist with the children's hospital. "There isn't a consistent cause, and we don't understand the whole physiology behind it at this point."

The disease affects apart of the spinal cord called the anterior horn, which helps controlmovement.

Symptoms include paralysis of one or more limbs, drooping of the face and eyelids, difficulty with eye movement and swallowing, and slurred speech. Children may also have trouble breathing, andin severe cases may require a ventilator due to muscle weakness.

Rare, polio-like paralysis in Ottawa

6 years ago

Duration 0:52

CHEO's Dr. Sunita Venkateswaran explains what it is and what to watch out for.

Tends to disappear in fall

Venkateswaran said that in 2014 there were a number of cases across Canada, but the disease stopped spreading in the fall. She expects the same to happen this year.

Though there's very little known about the illness, doctors have determined it's not polio, despite the similar symptoms.

Last week,the U.S.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there have been 127 reported cases of the disease this year, andone child in the U.S. has died.

The average age of theU.S. patients this yearis four, and doctors in Canada are reporting a similar pattern.

The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto is also reporting cases of the disease.In an email to doctors last week, the hospital said the children they've seen have had weakness in theirarms or legs, andsome have had to be admitted to the intensive care unit.

Venkateswaran said parents should seek medical help if their child is experiencing a suddenweakness inany part of the body,a sudden loss of bowel or bladder control, or neck pain.