Polio-Like Illness Causing Mystery Paralysis In Colorado Kids

[Purveyor]

Source: Associated Press

NEW YORK - Health officials are investigating nine cases of muscle weakness or paralysis in Colorado children and whether the culprit might be a virus causing severe respiratory illness across the country.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday sent doctors an alert about the polio-like cases and said the germ - enterovirus 68 - was detected in four out of eight of the sick children who had a certain medical test. The status of the ninth case is unclear.

The virus can cause paralysis but other germs can, too. Health officials don't know whether the virus caused any of the children's arm and leg weaknesses or whether it's just a germ they coincidentally picked up.

"That's why we want more information," and for doctors to report similar cases, said the CDC's Dr. Jane Seward.

Read more: http://www.kens5.com/story/news/nation-now/2014/09/29/virus-probed-mystery-paralysis-colorado-children/16459127/

[Laffy Kat]

1. This is scary for those of us with kids in a Colorado school.

Reminds me a lot of the way Guillian Barre syndrome presents. I'm sure they've thought of that, of course. Children's Hospital is the best possible place for these kids.

[Archae]

2. I'd be willing to bet this IS polio. (Or a slight mutation of the polio virus.)

With the nutcases running around saying "Vaccines cause autism!" it wouldn't surprise me that cases of polio are beginning to crop up again.

[SheilaT]

4. How easy is it to diagnose

actual polio?

[Archae]

5. I don't know.

[SheilaT]

6. A quick google search tells me

that the symptoms are very specific and the virus can apparently be cultured from a stool sample or throat swab. I wasn't trying to trick you, because I did not know myself and decided to check. I do love the Google.

My guess is, that since they're calling this polio-like, they've already ruled out polio itself.

Diseases mutate and jump from different species all the time. It's what they do, how they survive. There are simply so many people on the planet these days that diseases are having a wonderful time proliferating. What's happening with Ebola and what's going on with this one are only two examples.

[hedgehog]

10. If you start out thinking that evryone is vaccinated so it can't

possibly be polio, you could miss the diagnosis.

[SheilaT]

11. Since they're calling it "polio like"

I strongly suspect they've already ruled out the real thing. Certainly I could be wrong.

And I doubt very many doctors these days start out thinking everyone is vaccinated, simply because the fact of non-vaccination is so very much out there.

[YarnAddict]

15. I don't think they vaccinate for polio anymore

The disease was believed to no longer be a threat, so I think they stopped vaccinating.

[politicat]

16. Yes, they do. Niece two was really annoyed that she didn't get her sugar cube.

Sib told niece that if she looked away and didn't scream for the other vaccines, she would get a sugar cube. (Our households don't do sugar, so a whole sugar cube is a HUGE treat for the kidlets.)

That's because sibs and I got the oral. But the oral was discontinued in the US in 2000.

Niece got her polio vaccine with the others, but no sugar cube, so Sib had to stop at the grocery and buy a box of them.

Niece two is six.

[YarnAddict]

18. Well, that's good

Just wonder if these sick kids got the vax.

[politicat]

21. This is a local story for me, so privacy is involved, but that hasn't been mentioned as a factor.

Anti-vax vs vax is a big issue in the area, so if the kids weren't vaccinated for polio, that would be making noise. (Of course, the anti-vaxxers may be yelling about mutation via vaccination, but I try to not pay excessive attention to them.)

[FlatStanley]

3. Must be the pot

[SheilaT]

7. That's a truly dumb statement.

These kids are sick, and your comment is inappropriate.

[Purveyor]

9. There are a lot of those (statements) around this joint, indeed. eom

[FlatStanley]

12. I can't believe I have to do this:

[AllyCat]

8. Really?

[FlatStanley]

13. Do I really have to do this?

[Earth_First]

14. We've had tweleve confirmed cases of Entrovirus 68 here in Rochester, NY...

...in the past three weeks with 35 cases being studied as potentially linked to the virus.

Health officials issued an alert to parents and school administrators to be on the lookout for additional cases as this progresses.

It's made headlines here as well...

[TorchTheWitch]

17. does this illness only effect children for some reason?

I wonder why that is. Didn't polio also only effect children?

[Carolina]

19. Usually... it was once called infantile paralysis BUT

remember Franklin Roosevelt was stricken at age 39; and at the facility he established in Warm Springs, GA there were many other adults as well.

[TorchTheWitch]

20. it appears as though this new thing is only striking children

from what I've read though it's so hard to tell if this is something that us older folk need to worry about.

Is it also the same illness as this respiratory one in the NE that also seems to be only striking children? I can't seem to get this figured out... two different new viruses or one and only striking children or have adults also been striken.