Confirmed cluster of polio-like 'mystery illness' in Washington State

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Story highlights

  • CDC confirms 8 of 9 children in Washington cluster have acute flaccid myelitis
  • 6-year-old Daniel Ramirez, who died Sunday, did not have the disease, say officials

(CNN)Eight of nine children exhibiting symptoms of a mysterious illness have been confirmed to be suffering from acute flaccid myelitis, a highly infectious polio-like disease that primarily strikes children, the Washington State Department of Health announced Friday. However, the ninth case, a 6-year old boy who died last Sunday, did not have the disease.

The department announced the results following an analysis of the blood, stool and respiratory samples by the Centers for Disease Control.
"There has been no confirmed infection or any obvious commonalities among these eight children, said Dr. Scott Lindquist, who serves as state epidemiologist for communicable diseases. "We are in the process of doing an in-depth interview with these children and their families to look at what they ate, any see if there are any clues to how they got the disease."
    Like polio, AFM affects the body's nervous system -- specifically the spinal cord -- and can cause lifelong paralysis. But unlike with polio, there is no vaccine.
    Five of the eight children, ranging in age from 3 to 14 years of age, have been released and are home with their families, say officials. Three are still being treated at Seattle Children's Hospital.
    Cause of death unknown
    The death of 6-year-old Daniel Ramirez on Sunday was thought to be the very first to be linked to the cluster of cases in five Washington counties.
    Daniel's parents, Marijo De Guzman and Jose Ramirez, told CNN affiliate KOMO that they first took their son to the hospital because he had symptoms of a cold and was feeling dizzy. Within hours, they said, he was paralyzed, and never recovered.
    However, CDC tests show that the child did not have AFM. Officials refused to speculate on what may have caused his death.

    What is acute flaccid myelitis?

    "The key with AFM is that it's sudden onset," said Dr. Manisha Patel, AFM team lead at the CDC and a practicing pediatrician. "Symptoms include limb weakness, facial drooping and difficulty swallowing and talking.
    What is Enterovirus?
    What is Enterovirus?


      What is Enterovirus?


    What is Enterovirus? 01:40
    Messacar and his colleagues have followed their hospital's 12 AFM patients since 2014. Most are doing better than when they first came into the emergency room, but the majority continue to have some level of disability.
    "It's important to understand that there's a wide spectrum of severity of this disease," Messacar said. On one end, you see mild weakness in one extremity, he said. On the other, you've got children who have lost the ability to breathe on their own and exhibit complete paralysis in their arms and legs.

    How worried should you be?

    "CDC is always concerned when there is a serious illness that is affecting the public, especially when it's affecting children," Patel said. "We're looking closely at what might be causing this and what might put someone at risk for AFM."
    In the meantime, Patel encourages practicing "general prevention strategies": washing your hands with soap and water, getting vaccinated and preventing mosquito bites.
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    There is some good news, however. "Enteroviruses tend to appear in the late summer and early fall and go away in the winter," Messacar said. "So we expect to see (AFM cases) decrease based on the epidemiology of enteroviruses.
    "We understand this condition better than we did in 2014, but there's still a lot to learn," he said. "The process is slow, but progress is being made."