Blog note:

… And great earthquakes shall be in diverse places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven. (Luke 21:11).

… And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; (Luke 21:25)

… Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken; (Luke 21:26)

… This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. (2 Timothy 3:1)

Jesus is giving a series of prophecies about what to look for as the age of grace comes to a close. These verses are several of many such prophecies from throughout the Bible. 2017 was the worst year in recorded history for the intensity, frequency, severity, duration and occurrence of a large number of severe natural disasters worldwide. Earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricanes, typhoons, cyclones, torrential flooding, unprecedented wildfires in unusual places, devastating droughts, excessive/scorching heat setting records everywhere, record snowfalls in Europe and Russia. Snow in the Arabia. This list can go on. Most studied Eschatologists believe these ‘fearful sights’ and massive natural disasters are all part of the ‘CONVERGENCE’ of signs that this Biblical and prophetic age is closing. Most people who study prophecy are familiar with the routine reference(s) made that these things will be like a woman having labor pains that occur in greater severity, frequency, size and duration prior to giving birth. End of note.

AFM: CDC identifies 31 states with 116 confirmed cases of polio-like disease

By Debra Goldschmidt, CNN Updated 3:45 PM ET, Wed November 28, 2018

There are now 286 cases of possible and confirmed acute flaccid myelitis in the United States this year, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

That includes 116 confirmed cases of the rare polio-like illness, also known as AFM, that leads to sudden onset of paralysis. That’s 10 more confirmed cases than the agency reported a week ago. An additional 170 possible cases of AFM are under investigation.

Since 2014 there have been 440 confirmed cases of AFM, most of them children. More than 95% of the patients with AFM this year have been children younger than age 18. The average age of those infected is 5, according to the CDC. Most of the children with confirmed cases experienced a viral illness with symptoms including fever and cough about three to 10 days before the onset of paralysis, the CDC said this month.

The patients with confirmed AFM are in 31 states, which the CDC has now identified for the first time. There are 15 cases in Colorado, the state with the highest number, followed by Texas with 14 confirmed cases. Nineteen states have no confirmed cases, and 12 states are reporting only one confirmed case, according to the CDC.

It’s not clear whether there is more of a risk of AFM in states that have a higher number of cases or if those states are just better at identifying and reporting patients. Although the CDC has encouraged doctors to report cases, there is no requirement to do so.

Most AFM patients became ill between August and October, and according to the CDC, the number of illnesses has peaked every other fall since 2014.

Even with the rise in cases, according to the CDC, “less than one to two in a million children in the United States will get AFM every year.”

CNN’s Elizabeth Cohen contributed to this report.