A mysterious illness, similar to polio, has paralyzed five children in California.
According to CNN, neurologists identified five patients who have developed paralysis in their limbs since 2012. The children had been vaccinated against the poliovirus, but treatment has not yet restored their motor functions.
The term polio is short for poliomyelitis, which is a viral disease that can affect nerves and can lead to partial or full paralysis.
Four-year-old Sofia Jarvis was the first case reported two years ago when she was affected by the illness. Today, Jarvis’ left arm is still paralyzed.
"She went to grab a toy, and mid-grasp her arm stopped working," said her mother, Jessica Tomei.
Doctors are baffled by the cases of a disease that the U.S. was thought to have rid itself from decades ago.
“What's we're seeing now is bad. The best case scenario is complete loss of one limb, the worst is all four limbs, with respiratory insufficiency as well. It's like the old polio,” Keith Van Haren, a pediatric neurologist at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital in Palo Alto, Calif. told USA Today.
At this time, there have been no reported cases in any other states.