Analysis of wastewater samples in the United States has shown a sharp increase in the presence of an enteric virus that causes paralysis.

The enteric virus causes rare cases of acute spinal muscular atrophy resembling polio.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed 13 cases of acute spinal muscular atrophy, as reported by NBC News on Tuesday.

Analyzed wastewater samples revealed a significant increase in the presence of the enteric virus known as D68, which is associated with rare cases of acute flaccid myelitis, as well as its impact on the nervous system and causing severe weakness in the arms and legs, especially in young children.

Alexandria Baum, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Stanford University and director of the "West Water Scan" program, a non-profit monitoring network, stated: "We are detecting the nucleic acids of a virus type called 'EVD 68' in wastewater across the country, and the levels are on the rise."

For her part, epidemiologist Caitlin Rivers from the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security considered that "this is the first evidence suggesting that the nation may see an increase in acute flaccid myelitis, and the second evidence is that the timing of the year is appropriate as September is the month in which the most cases of this disease occur."

According to the network, anyone who has had a cold is likely to have an enteric virus, as the viruses cause mild symptoms such as a runny nose, cough, headache, and general malaise.

The D68 strain of the enteric virus began causing serious problems in 2014 when the United States witnessed an increase in cases of polio-like illness, with 120 children diagnosed.

There is no specific treatment for polio; even with years of intensive physical therapy, many are left with life-altering disabilities.

Despite reporting a few dozen cases each year since then, larger waves of polio-like illness have followed a biennial pattern, rising again in 2016 (with 153 cases) and in 2018 (with 238 cases).

The pattern ceased in 2020 when the nation went into lockdown due to the COVID pandemic, significantly reducing the virus's spread.