3 More Children Investigated for Rare Neurological Disease in Washington
Eight children have already been diagnosed with rare condition.
— -- Three children have been hospitalized in Washington State after showing potential symptoms of a rare neurological syndrome called acute flaccid myelitis (AFM). Earlier this month, eight children in five counties across the state were diagnosed with the condition.
A spokeswoman for the Washington Department of Health confirmed the three possible AFM cases reported in Tacoma, Seattle and Spokane were being investigated by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Two children are still hospitalized, while one child was treated at Seattle Children's Hospital and released, according to the department spokeswoman.
The debilitating AFM syndrome affects the nervous system, specifically the spinal cord. Historically, the condition has been caused by a variety of infections, including the polio virus. The condition often causes the spinal cord to be inflamed, which can in turn cause temporary or permanent paralysis.
Earlier this month, the CDC confirmed that eight children in Washington had developed the AFM syndrome. Both federal and state officials are still looking for a cause of the condition.