"Acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) is a neurologic disease. It is rare, but serious. It affects an area of the spinal cord called gray matter. This can cause the muscles and reflexes in the body to become weak. Because of these symptoms, some people call AFM a "polio-like" illness." (MedlinePlus)
The following resources provide information on acute flaccid myelitis:
The CDC has been thoroughly investigating the acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) cases that have occurred since 2014, when they first noted a large number of cases being reported. The CDC works closely with national experts, healthcare providers, and state and local health departments to thoroughly investigate AFM by looking for possible risk factors and causes, figuring out why some people develop this condition, monitoring AFM activity nationwide, and updating possible treatment options.
AFM Investigation - Information about the CDC's efforts to investigate AFM and understand why patients are developing AFM.
AFM Confirmed U.S. Cases - This graph shows the number of AFM cases confirmed by CDC as of April 3, 2023.
For Clinicians and Health Departments - Information on case definitions, specimen collection instructions, data collection, interim considerations for clinical management of patients, and FAQs by clinicians and health departments.