DALLAS (1080 KRLD) - There were 28 reported cases in the Lone Star State this year of Acute Flaccid Myelitis.
Lara Anton with the Texas Department of State Health Services says that includes one that's newly reported and not on the state's website yet. AFM is a condition that affects the spinal cord and causes muscles to go weak or limp. It has drawn comparisons to polio. It can also cause slurred speech, difficulty swallowing and facial drooping.
Most of the cases are in children.
Anton says a pattern seems to be in play. "Where every other year we see a higher number of cases. This is since 2014. The CDC was expecting 2018 to have more cases than 2017 because that had been the pattern and that certainly has held true."
Her agency says there were three cases in 2014, zero in 2015, 19 in 2016 and five in 2017.
Anton does not know why Texas has the highest case count. And doctors don't seem to know what causes AFM. They say most patients report having a viral type illness before their limbs go limp.
AFM Case Counts by County, Texas 2018 County Case Count
Collin 3
Dallas 2
Fort Bend 1
Galveston 1
Gregg 1
Harris 4
Hays 1
Hill 1
Kaufman 1
Midland 1
Parker 1
Smith 1
Tarrant 5
Travis 3
Webb 1
