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‘Polio-like’ Illness Confirmed In West Virginia
By: Associated Press
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HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (AP) – The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources has confirmed a case of a polio-like illness that can cause paralyzing symptoms and prove fatal.
The Huntington Herald-Dispatch reports this is the first confirmed case in the state this year and only the third since the state began tracking the illness in 2014. The agency did not disclose any information on the patient or the patient’s location.
The disease affects the spinal cord and brain stem. It can cause full paralysis within seven days, and complete recovery is uncommon. This is one of several cases of acute flaccid myelitis confirmed across the country this year; Nebraska, North Carolina and Utah also have confirmed cases. There were 228 confirmed cases nationwide last year.