Oishei Children’s Hospital in Buffalo is working to diagnose what may be case of a rare polio-like disease. WBFO’s Avery Schneider has more.
A spokesperson for Oishei Children’s Hospital released a written statement Thursday afternoon saying a patient at the hospital is undergoing diagnostic procedures for suspected, but not confirmed, acute flaccid myelitis. Known in short as AFM, the rare but serious illness affects the body’s nervous system, causing muscles and reflexes to become weak.
AFM is not a new condition but, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, an increase in cases has been seen since 2014. The CDC estimates less than one in a million people in the country will get AFM each year.
Oishei is working with the CDC and New York State Department of Health to evaluate the patient and confirm their diagnosis.
