KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Two suspected cases of a rare polio-like disease have popped up in Kansas City.
Doctors at Children's Mercy say they have two suspected cases of Acute Flaccid Myelitis (AFM). The hospital reported both cases to the health department and the Centers for Disease Control.
AFM attacks the body's nervous system, specifically the spinal cord and can cause paralysis. But there is no vaccine for AFM, like there is for polio.
Recently, several cases have been reported in Colorado, Minnesota, Illinois and Iowa.
The CDC estimates less than one in a million people in the United States get AFM every year, but there have been an increase in cases starting in 2014.
Symptoms include: facial droop and weakness, difficulty moving the eyes, drooping eyelids and difficulty swallowing or slurred speech.
If you develop these symptoms, the CDC urges you to see a doctor immediately.
