MINNEAPOLIS - A seventh child has been diagnosed with the rare condition acute flaccid myelitis, or AFM, according to the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH).
MDH spokesman Dough Schultz confirms the diagnosis, saying the child is a 10-year-old who lives in the Twin Cities area. Schultz says unlike the six other children previously diagnosed, the seventh child has not been affected severely enough to warrant hospitalization.
AFM can lead to death, paralysis and other long-term health problems. The disease is often described as "polio-like."
Minnesota Department of Health epidemiologist Jayne Griffith says parents should watch their kids for signs of the illness, according to MPR.
"Note if anything seems different in terms of the way they're moving or the way they may be holding an arm or a leg or maybe talking about muscle pains or aches," Griffith told MPR.
Here are the symptoms of AFM:
- Neck weakness or stiffness
- Drooping eyelids or a facial droop.
- Difficulty swallowing or slurred speech.
All the children afflicted are under the age of 10. All but one of the six hospitalized children have been released.
"I believe that of the first six, five of them have been discharged from the hospital," Griffith said. "One is still hospitalized and a couple of the cases that were discharged were receiving some outpatient rehabilitation services."
Federal officials say that at least 62 cases of the paralyzing illness have been confirmed in 22 states this year, according to MPR.
AFM can arise after an infection and affects the nervous system. Symptoms include sudden weakness in arm and leg muscles, neck weakness or stiffness, drooping of the eyelids or face, difficulty swallowing or slurred speech.