(NBC News) – Enterovirus D68 is linked to rare cases of the polio-like illness acute myelitis, or AFM. So far this year, the CDC has confirmed 13 cases of AFM.

A respiratory virus that sometimes paralyzes children is spreading across the U.S., raising concerns about another possible rise in polio-like illnesses.

Wastewater samples have detected a significant escalation in an enterovirus called D68, which, in rare cases, has been linked to acute flaccid myelitis, or AFM. The illness affects the nervous system and causes severe weakness in the arms and legs. This most often occurs in young children. (Read More)