A significant rise in the enterovirus strain D68 has been detected in wastewater samples. This virus has been linked to acute flaccid myelitis (AFM), a condition that affects the nervous system, leading to severe weakness in the arms and legs—most often in young children.
While the enterovirus typically causes mild symptoms such as a runny nose, cough, and headache, “the D68 strain began causing more severe issues in 2014, when the U.S. saw its first spike in pediatric AFM, with 120 children diagnosed,” the report noted.
Currently, there is no cure or specific treatment for AFM-related paralysis. Even after years of intensive physical therapy, many children are left with life-altering disabilities.
The D68 strain remains a viral mystery, with larger outbreaks of AFM occurring in an every-other-year pattern. Cases spiked in 2016 (153 cases) and 2018 (238 cases), but the pattern was disrupted in 2020 when COVID-19 lockdowns greatly reduced viral transmission, with only 32 cases reported. The virus resurged in 2022 after lockdowns were lifted, but interestingly, there was no corresponding increase in AFM cases.
Dr. Kevin Messacar, an infectious disease specialist at Children’s Hospital Colorado who treated some of the earliest AFM cases in 2014, described the situation as a mystery that virologists are still working to solve. It’s possible that the virus has mutated, or that more people have developed immunity to D68. “We’re still trying to figure it out,” Messacar told Fox News.As of 2024, 13 AFM cases have been confirmed, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Since 2014, a total of 758 cases have been recorded.
