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Federal health officials said Monday that cases of the paralyzing, polio-like illness that was spiking in children in the United States this year appears to have peaked. In 2018, 134 cases of acute flaccid myelitis, or AFM, have been confirmed in 33 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Another 165 cases are under investigation. In a statement, the CDC said officials expect the number of cases to decline for the remainder of the year. Most of the latest confirmed cases occurred in September and October. (Sun, 12/3)

According to the CDC, in 2014, there were 120 confirmed cases between August and December; in 2015, there were 22 confirmed cases; in 2016, there were 149 confirmed cases; and in 2017, 35 confirmed cases were reported. The agency said Monday that it has previously seen a drop in cases in November. "That pattern appears to be repeating in 2018 because states have reported fewer PUIs [patients under investigation] over the past couple of weeks. CDC expects this decline to continue," it said on its AFM investigation website. (Goldschmidt, 12/3)

Over 90 percent of confirmed cases of AFM have been in children, and since 2014, AFM cases have occurred in 46 states and the District of Columbia, the CDC said. (Weixel, 12/3)