Virus that can cause paralyzing illness in children is spiking in the U.S., data shows

A respiratory virus that sometimes paralyzes children is spreading across the U.S., raising concerns about another possible rise in polio-like illnesses.

Wastewater samples have detected a significant escalation in an enterovirus called D68, which, in rare cases, has been linked to acute flaccid myelitis, or AFM. The illness affects the nervous system and causes severe weakness in the arms and legs. This most often occurs in young children.



So far in 2024, 13 AFM cases have been confirmed, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Since 2014, 758 cases have been logged. The implication is that hundreds of families and their children have been left with lasting, life-altering paralysis because of a virus.

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