Clinicians: Timing is Key to Rapidly Recognizing and
Reporting Acute Flaccid Myelitis Cases
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Acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) is a
rare but serious syndrome that causes limb weakness, mostly in children.
Three national outbreaks have occurred starting in 2014, when CDC began
surveillance for AFM.
- Most
patients developed AFM in late summer or early fall.
- Most
patients had respiratory symptoms or fever consistent with a viral
infection less than a week before onset of limb weakness.
CDC
believes viruses, including enteroviruses, play a role in AFM. Currently, there are no proven ways to treat or
prevent AFM.
Prompt symptom recognition,
specimen collection, and reporting to CDC are all critical
to improve understanding of this complex syndrome, including its risk
factors, outcomes, possible treatments, and ways to prevent it. AFM is rare, and there is no lab test available
yet to diagnose patients.
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- Strongly
suspect AFM in patients with acute flaccid limb weakness, especially
after respiratory illness or fever, and between August and October.
- Hospitalize
patients immediately, collect lab specimens, diagnose, and begin
medical management.
- Don’t
wait for CDC’s case classification for diagnosis.
- When
clinicians recognize AFM early, they can quickly—
- Get
patients the best care, including treatment and rehabilitation.
- Collect
lab specimens like blood or urine to increase understanding of AFM
and its causes.
- Report
suspected cases for prompt investigation and outbreak detection.
- Alert
the appropriate health department and send lab specimens and medical
records.
- Contact
neurologists specializing in AFM through the AFM Physician
Consult and Support Portal for help with patient diagnosis and
medical management.
- Contact
CDC with any questions about AFM, including how to report cases and
collect appropriate specimens.
What Health
Departments Can Do
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- Work
with CDC to collect medical information, MRI images, and specimens,
and classify cases.
- Communicate
information about AFM to clinicians and the public.
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- Monitoring
AFM trends and clinical presentation.
- Researching
possible risk factors.
- Conducting
advanced laboratory testing and research to understand how viral
infections may lead to AFM.
- Tracking
long-term patient outcomes.
You can
find more information about AFM from CDC in this month’s Vital
Signs or call 1-800-CDC-INFO (232-4636) TTY:
1-888-232-6348.
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