One case of disease with symptoms similar to polio confirmed in Indiana

There hasn't been a case of polio in the United States for more than 20 years, but we're seeing a disease with similar symptoms right here in Indiana.

We're not talking about polio here.

It's called Acute Flaccid Myelitis, AFM. It's pretty rare, but the symptoms can be scary.

Doctors say there are things you can do to keep from getting sick.

"Mainly we see it in children,” said Dr. Lydia Mertz, Elkhart County Health Department. “It does cause weakness or drooping of facial muscles and the muscles of the arms and legs. It may even cause paralysis in severe cases.”

Those symptoms sound a lot like polio, but they're not.

"AFM cases are not caused by poliovirus," said Pam Pontones, deputy health commissioner, Indiana State Department of Health.

So what is it caused by?

The CDC has been researching viruses similar to polio to find out.

"A group of enterovirus, adenovirus, or West Nile virus can have complications that show this way, but none of these things have panned out,” said Mertz. “We really don’t know what’s causing this kind of outbreak.”

It's hard to call this an outbreak.

AFM is incredibly rare -- this year there are only 38 confirmed cases nationwide.

"In fact, since 2014, Indiana has had fewer than 10 cases of AFM each year,” said Pontones. “In fact, currently, we’ve had only one confirmed case of AFM this year."

Even though it's rare, no one wants to get sick.

There are things you can do to stay healthy.

"Wash your hands often,” said Mertz. “Cough into a Kleenex and throw it away or into the crook of your arm. Make sure you’re up on your vaccinations.”

Pontones told WSBT 22 there are a wide spectrum of recovery outcomes and that more long-term data is needed.

If your youngster shows any of the symptoms of AFM get them to a doctor right away, so treatment can start as soon as possible.