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Four Cases of Acute Flaccid myelitis confirmed in Ohio children by the Health Department. One of them is located in Pickaway County, which is about 30 minutes south of Columbus.

The illness is a serious condition affecting the nervous system leading even to paralysis.

Linda Diltz and her 3-year old granddaughter, Lillian was met at the park with the local news, and she said that she knew about AFM, but wasn’t aware of the illness confirmation in her country, Circleville.

“That’s a scary thing to know,” said Diltz. And she added that everyone needs to do every possible thing to treat the information that they have in the right way.

The cause of the illness, called AFM, is being explored by the Centers for Disease Control. They have already confirmed 62 cases in the United States. The 90% of the cases appeared to be children under the age of 18. According to CDC, the illness affects the nervous system and also can affect the spinal cord. It can cause the muscles and reflect in the body not to work in a normal way.

Mild fever and respiratory illness can be the first symptoms of AFM, according to DR. Mike Brady, an infection specialist at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. After some time, the patient can experience muscle weakness, and it can mostly harm the arms.

So, what to do to keep the health of Ohio children up?

Parents can avoid the serious disease by taking preventive treatments. These include washing their hands often, staying up to date on recommended immunizations and using insect prevention. After all, a single bite of a mosquito can transmit an infection.

So basically, the ways to stay safe for Ohio children are the same as usual. Try and make sure that your kids are taking their health seriously!