OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Health officials have confirmed the state’s first case of a rare, polio-like illness in an eastern Nebraska child.
The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services announced the diagnosis Wednesday. The department said the child, who lives in the jurisdiction of the Sarpy/Cass Health Department, was hospitalized and later released. No other information about the child has been released.
Another case reported in Douglas County as likely being acute flaccid myelitis, or AFM, was dismissed after a thorough review by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The condition can cause paralysis in the arms and legs and affects mainly children.
An increase in cases nationwide started in 2014. The department says from August 2014 through October 2018, there have been 440 confirmed cases of AFM in the U.S.