When 4-year-old Xavier Downton got sick about seven weeks ago, his parents figured it was just a bug.
The Ottawa boy was a little feverish and weak at first, but within days his condition got much worse.
鈥淗e was becoming paralyzed. Things weren鈥檛 moving,鈥� mom Rachelle told CTV Ottawa.
Xavier was soon diagnosed with , a rare polio-like illness that attacks the spine and can cause paralysis. There have been reports across North America about a spike in cases, but the Public Health Agency of Canada recently stressed that that is not the case in Canada. 鈥淎t present a confirmed increase of cases above the annual average has not been seen in Canada,鈥� the agency .
There are 16 confirmed cases of AFM in Canada and nearly 200 in the U.S. There is still no known cause.
鈥淭his is the million dollar question,鈥� said pediatric neurologist Dr. Sunita Venkateswaran. 鈥淭his is a very concerning illness.鈥�
AFM is most distressing for the -- so sudden you can鈥檛 miss it. What appears as a simple cold at first suddenly becomes weakness in an arm or a leg. The face may droop. They may have difficulty moving their eyes. They may slur their speech and have trouble swallowing. In the most severe cases, the person may experience respiratory failure as the muscles involved with breathing become weak, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
After about a month-and-a-half in hospital, Xavier has been making progress. 鈥淓very little movement or twitch鈥� is encouraging to his parents. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the hardest thing I鈥檝e ever done,鈥� said dad Chris, but he鈥檚 hopeful. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really slow progress, but progress is progress and I鈥檒l take it.鈥�
Rachelle says Xavier鈥檚 mind is 鈥渁ll there鈥� and his speech has come back to a normal level, so they are confident about what lies ahead for their son. 鈥淗e has a future. I don鈥檛 care if he鈥檚 in a wheelchair,鈥� she said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 got a future.鈥�
Canadians are being advised by the Public Health Agency to take the same precautions as any cold and flu season to help reduce the risk of getting AFM. :
- Wash your hands
- Cough and sneeze into your arm (not the palms of your hands)
- Keep countertops and other common areas clean
- Avoid touching your face with your hands
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick
With a report from CTV Ottawa鈥檚 Catherine Lathem
