A mysterious illness that was paralyzing kids has been stopped in its tracks during the pandemic
INSIDER
8/02/2021
COVID-19 mitigation strategies may be to thank for the lack of acute flaccid myelitis cases.
The mysterious illness showed up in 2014, and researchers are baffled by the paralysis it causes.
Cases of acute flaccid myelitis (AFM), a polio-like illness that causes limb weakness and facial droopiness in children, baffled doctors when it first showed up in 2014. After six years, illness rates dwindled in 2020.
Dr. Sunil Sood, a pediatrician who specializes in infectious disease at Northwell Health, said the small number of cases is largely because of COVID-19 mitigation strategies, like wearing masks and social distancing.