CDC: Acute Flaccid Myelitis Confirmed in 16 States

By Amy Orciari Herman

Edited by Susan Sadoughi, MD

Patients may be asking about widely reported accounts of acute flaccid myelitis (AFM), a serious condition that can cause limb paralysis — sometimes long-lasting, and most often in young children.

The CDC confirmed 38 cases in 16 states from January through September 2018, although some states have reported additional cases since September. In particular, as of last week the Illinois public health department reported 10 suspected cases, while Washington state was investigating at least five suspected cases. AFM first peaked in the U.S. in late 2014, with a total of 120 confirmed cases. It peaked again in 2016, with 149 cases.

On its website, the CDC says the cause of most AFM cases is unknown. While the spike in 2014 occurred at the same time as an outbreak of enterovirus-D68, the virus was not detected in every AFM case. Additionally, the agency says the long-term effects of AFM are unknown.