(Daily Mail) – Another 16 children have contracted the rare polio-like disease, acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) – bringing the total number of confirmed cases this year to 109 across 29 states, the CDC has revealed. Another 167 children are showing tell-tale symptoms of the mysterious illness which has emerged as a major public health threat every other year since 2014. It seems to be caused by a combination of viruses but this year, the third time AFM has surged, the CDC is still struggling to identify exactly how and why it takes hold.

As such, the agency today formed a task force designed to investigate the driving forces and possible treatments of AFM, and to establish what post-AFM life looks like for sufferers. ‘I want to reaffirm to parents, patients, and our Nation CDC’s commitment to this serious medical condition,’ said CDC Director Robert R. Redfield, MD. ‘This Task Force will ensure that the full capacity of the scientific community is engaged and working together to provide important answers and solutions to actively detect, more effectively treat, and ultimately prevent AFM and its consequences.’ READ MORE