CDC: Texas has highest number of children affected by mysterious, polio-like illness

PHOTOS: About Acute Flaccid Myelitis According to CDC data, 25 Texas children were confirmed to suffer from acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) in 2018. >>> See more basic facts about AFM According to CDC data, 25 Texas children were confirmed to suffer from acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) in 2018. PHOTOS: About Acute Flaccid Myelitis According to CDC data, 25 Texas children were confirmed to suffer from acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) in 2018. >>> See more basic facts about AFM According to CDC data, 25 Texas children were confirmed to suffer from acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) in 2018. Photo: Center For Disease Control And Prevention Photo: Center For Disease Control And Prevention Image 1 of / 15 Caption Close CDC: Texas has highest number of children affected by mysterious, polio-like illness 1 / 15 Back to Gallery

The stories behind children who contract acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) sound like something straight out of a nightmare.

In California, a 2-year-old collapsed like a marionette doll while running into the kitchen of her house, and a 4-year-old boy couldn't move his head days after experiencing breathing problems, according to stories in The Atlantic and the Los Angeles Times.

In Georgia, a mother put her 2-year-old daughter to bed with a fever, only to wake up with the child paralyzed from the neck down, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

The CDC defines AFM as a rare but serious condition that affects the area of the spinal cord called gray matter, which causes the muscles and reflexes in the body to become weak. It has been compared to the poliovirus and mostly affects children.

In addition to body parts going limp, the illness can also cause facial drooping, difficulty moving the eyes, slurred speech or difficulty swallowing.

AFM IN HOUSTON: Two area kids confirmed to have polio-like illness that has spread to 22 states

While the number of confirmed cases has drastically fluctuated since the agency first noted the illness in 2014, Texas recorded the highest share of AFM cases in 2018 with 25. The next-highest state, Colorado, recorded 16 cases last year.

It's still a very rare illness, but the CDC hasn't been able to nail down a definitive cause, according to its website.

More than 90 percent of AFM patients report a mild respiratory illness or fever consistent with a viral infection before they develop the illness. But the CDC notes that viral infections are common, especially in children, and most people recover.

"We don't know why a small number of people develop AFM, while most others recover," the CDC said. "We are continuing to investigate this."

The CDC has taken several steps to explore treatment options and consult with an expert to better understand the illness. Recent studies have been focused on the germ in the fluid surrounding spinal court, but that only produced results in four of the 519 confirmed cases since 2014.

"The absence of a pathogen in most AFM cases means we haven't found the definitive cause yet," the CDC said. "There could also be something else triggering the patient's AFM, such as their immune response to an infection or a genetic factor that may make them more susceptible."

For more research on AFM, you can view this report for the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists. The CDC has also compiled a list of things to consider when treating the illness.

Julian Gill is a digital reporter in Houston. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, houstonchronicle.com. | julian.gill@chron.com | Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message