A RISE in cases of a rare and incurable disease that can paralyse children has led to a probe by health officials.

Acute flaccid paralysis affects the nervous system, causing one or more of the limbs to become weak or floppy and can look similar to polio.

The condition mainly affects childrenA total of 28 cases of AFP have been reported in the country this year, according to official figures.

That is more than the previous nine years combined and there were only 25 cases between 2009 and 2017.

Public Health England has now begun investigating the spike in outbreaks of the condition, which mainly affects children.

Dr Mary Ramsay, head of immunisations at PHE stressed that that the disease is "very rare".