A recent survey by National Institute of Infectious Diseases shows that a total of 66 people suffered from an unidentified paralysis between Aug. 1 and Dec. 3 last year, Asahi Shimbun daily said on Wednesday.
The survey, released on Tuesday, was conducted after a series of reports last summer that children showed symptoms of paralyses for which the cause was unknown.
According to the survey, the patients, found in 26 prefectures, include adults, but more than 90 percent of them are younger than 20 years old. Among them, 41 patients are 6 years old or younger. Most of them started to show symptoms — paralysis after developing high fevers and coughs — in September. A virus called Enterovirus D68, or EV-D68, was detected from some of the patients, the daily said.