'Polio-like syndrome' causes paralysis in five California children

A "polio-like syndrome" has caused paralysis in several children in California.

Neurologists have identified five children who have developed paralysis in one or more of their limbs between August 2012 and July 2013, and are investigating the cases further. So far, the patients have not responded to treatments and still lack motor function in their affected limbs.

Samples were taken from only two of the five children, and they have tested positive for enterovirus 68, a rare virus that has been linked to severe respiratory illness.

There are more than 100 strains of enterovirus, which cause 10 million to 15 million infections in the United States each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most cases are not serious, however, and cause "summer colds" or are coupled with mild symptoms like fever, runny nose, cough, skin rash and body aches.

But some types are more severe, leading to hand, foot and mouth disease, viral meningitis, inflammation of the brain, infection of the heart and, in some cases, paralysis. Children are more vulnerable to the virus because their immune systems are not yet fully developed and they have not built up immunity to the more common, less serious viruses.

Dr. Emmanuelle Waubant, a neurologist at the University of California, San Francisco, and colleagues will soon present a case report about the mysterious syndrome, and ask that health care providers keep watch for any patients displaying these symptoms.

Dr. Carol Glaser, chief of the Encephalitis and Special Investigation Section at the California Department of Public Health, is aware of the situation but believes there is no threat to the surrounding community.

"We are evaluating cases as they are reported to us," Glaser told CNN. "We have not found anything at this point that raises any public health concerns."

The poliovirus has been absent in the United States for more than 30 years, and while there is a vaccine to prevent polio, one does not yet exist for this non-syndrome. Glaser says that until more information is known about these cases, the best prevention methods are washing one's hands frequently and avoiding close contact with anyone who is sick.