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The Acute Flaccid Myelitis or AFM is a rare condition caused by a virus that brings paralysis and even death. The number of cases in children is rising, alarming health officials who admit that they do not fully understand the virus, but stress that AFM is not contagious.

AFM is caused by a virus that wreaks havoc to the nervous system particularly damaging the spinal cord, resulting in long-term paralysis or disability. Though the disease exhibit polio-like symptoms, it has no known cure or vaccine.

The disease is also linked to Enterovirus as well as other possible culprits like environmental pollutants, genetic predisposition, and the Guillain-Barre Syndrome. The first known case of AFM was in 2014, affecting a total of 120 people in 34 states in the latter half of the year. In 2015, only 21 people in 16 states were reported.

This year 2016, there have been more than a dozen cases reported but only two in Washington State were confirmed to be AFM. The data was released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as reported by CNN through its affiliate KOMO.

A recent AFM case involved Daniel Ramirez, a 6-year-old boy, who died after almost a month of battling AFM. He was brought to the hospital by his parents, Jose Ramirez and Marijo de Guzman, due to a cold and complaints of dizziness

The boy suffered paralysis after a few hours and could not breathe on his own. He was placed in an induced coma to relieve the pressure from his swollen brain. He died last Sunday, Oct. 30, CBS News reported.

Dr. Manisha Patel, the pediatrician for CDC, believes that early detection is important. Symptoms to watch out for are a telltale limp signaling limb weakness and slurred speech as well as difficulty in swallowing, moving the eyes, and urinating.

Without any conclusive data to allow health officials to fully comprehend the disease, Patel recommends regular preventive steps like washing hands with soap, vaccination, and protection from mosquito bites since AFM has also been linked to mosquito born diseases.

The CDC data indicates that the virus peaks in late summer or early fall, dying out during the winter season. Health officials hope to see a drop in reported AFM cases, leaving parents no cause for alarm until CDC and medical practitioners can investigate further.