South Dakota state health officials are reporting the first confirmed acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) case of 2018.
This comes a month after the South Dakota Department of Health announced investigating a case. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provided expert consultation to help verify the diagnosis. The case is an adult who experienced a mild respiratory illness with fever prior to developing muscle weakness, for which they were hospitalized.
“AFM is a rare but serious condition, most often diagnosed in children, that affects the nervous system, causing muscles to weaken. Most cases of AFM had a mild respiratory illness or fever consistent with a viral infection before they develop muscle weakness, but no specific cause has been identified,” said Dr. Joshua Clayton, state epidemiologist.
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Currently, South Dakota does not have any additional cases under investigation.
In 2018, there have been 165 confirmed cases of AFM in 36 states. These 165 confirmed cases are among the 320 total reports that the CDC received of patients under investigation. More than 90% of AFM cases have occurred in children less than 18 years of age.
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I had the same symptoms droopy eyelid, facial drooping, muscle weakness after I got the fly shot on Oct 29. Took me 2 months to recover! Investigate this virus!