Out of 103 children, only one has recovered from a mysterious illness that created polio-like symptoms, USA Today reported, citing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The sudden and unexplainable paralysis has struck children in 34 states since August. The average age of the children is seven, and about two-thirds of them have shown some signs of recovery. Only one has fully recovered from the illness.
Enterovirus D68, a rare cold-like virus, was likely to blame for some of the children becoming paralyzed. A definite link between the virus and the paralysis hasn't been made yet because the infections could have been a coincidence, some doctors said.
The outbreak of paralysis came at the same time as an enterovirus D68 illness that led to respiratory distress occurred.
"With viral infections, things can become virulent very quickly and spread very quickly," Avindra Nath, chief of the neurological infections section of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, told the Atlantic. "Some kind of preparation is worthy of consideration."
Paralyzed children had inflammation in the nerve cells in their spinal cords, but the virus hasn't been found yet. Roughly 20 percent of the infected children did have the virus in their nose or throat, the CDC reported.
Symptoms included fever and respiratory sickness before getting muscle weakness. About 19 percent were put on breathing machines after being hospitalized. None of the children have died, and 76 percent were healthy before symptoms started.
