UPDATE: 4/29/19

The Mid-Ohio Valley Health Department weighed in on the confirmed one case of a polio-like illness by the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources.

This is the first confirmed case in the state this year and only the third since the state began tracking the illness.

The rare illness affects the nervous system and usually occurs in young children.

Symptoms include sudden arm or leg weakness, difficulty moving eyes, drooping eyelids, facial droop or weakness, and difficulty swallowing or slurred speech.

The disease can cause a lowered immune system that can ultimately be fatal.

“The condition that you’re questioning is Acute Flaccid Myelitis. We don’t know what causes it. They started noticing it in 2014. We don’t have treatment to cure it, we have treatment for the symptoms…the way to prevent is is, same with everything else, hand washing with soap and water,” explains Rebecca Eaton, director of clinical services and women’s health nurse practitioner for the Mid-Ohio Valley Health Department.

No information has been released on the West Virginia patient or their specific location.

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HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (AP) - The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources has confirmed a case of a polio-like illness that can cause paralyzing symptoms and prove fatal.

The Huntington Herald-Dispatch reported that this is the first confirmed case in the state this year and only the third since the state began tracking the illness in 2014.

The DHHR did not disclose any information on the patient or the patient's location.

The disease affects the spinal cord and brain stem. It can cause full paralysis within seven days, and complete recovery is uncommon.

The case is one of several cases of acute flaccid myelitis confirmed across the country this year; Nebraska, North Carolina and Utah also have confirmed cases. There were 228 confirmed cases nationwide last year.

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Information from: The Herald-Dispatch, http://www.herald-dispatch.com

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