Dog-Sense: For All Dog Owners

POLIO-LIKE VIRUS IS SPREADING

Acute Flaccid Myelitis (AFM), is increasing among vaccination-age children and is surprisingly similar to canine flu, a lab-virus version of parvo.

October 29, 2018

Barbara "BJ" Andrews, Editor-In-Chief, SAAB

CDC estimates that less than one in a million people in the United States will get AFM every year. While this has not (yet) been pointed out on news networks, according to the CDC (Center for Disease Control) AFM infection has occurred since 2014 across a wide geographical area and the majority of patients “are children (of vaccination age).”

Is it coincidence that children “catch” acute flaccid myelitis when multiple vaccines are administered? The CDC states “To date, no pathogen (germ) has been consistently detected in the patients’ spinal fluid.” This anomaly has led some child-care physicians (and veterinarians) to speculate on the possibility of a contaminated batch of childhood vaccines. It sounds a lot like “canine flu”.

We checked with our Science And Advisory Board^{1} and the consensus is that vaccine contamination is unlikely. A former pharmaceutical sales rep concurred although he noted that “vaccines are shipped shore to shore.” Dismissing the possibility of a contaminated batch of childhood vaccine as a factor in the high percentage of youngsters affected, he attributed the vaccine connection to “their immature immune systems.”

AFM symptoms are similar to “poliovirus, non-polio enteroviruses, adenoviruses, and West Nile virus” including weakness, loss of muscle tone and reflexes in the arms or legs. Facial muscles are often affected resulting in drooping eyelids, difficulty moving the eyes or swallowing, and/or slurred speech.

The good news is that as of late October 2018 “all of the AFM cases have tested negative for poliovirus.” Troubling however is that no one has identified the source of the outbreak. The CDC says “the Cause Of Most AFM Cases remains unknown” and admits their medical team doesn’t know “what caused the increase in AFM cases starting in 2014.”

That is not reassuring. This virus has been going on (under the radar) since August 2014 when “120 people were confirmed to have AFM” in 34 states.

Even less reassuring, the CDC says the government doesn’t know “what caused the increase in AFM cases starting in 2014” and even more disconcerting, the CDC doesn’t “know who is at higher risk” (children or elderly?) nor does the U.S. government health agency know “the long-term effects of AFM.” We are however assured that health officials are trying to find out what it is, how it got here, how to prevent it and how to speed recovery.

Until we get better answers to the mysterious disease which seems limited to people, we refer you to the extensive Pets and People Health section that provides a ton of “avoidance advice” for contagious diseases.

Reference #1 Science And Advisory Board

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