Acute Flaccid Myelitis Reporting
Acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) is not nationally notifiable; CDC relies on clinician recognition and health department reporting of suspected AFM cases to learn more about AFM and what causes it1. Texas is participating in enhanced AFM surveillance.
Clinicians should continue to be vigilant and send all information about patients that meet the clinical criteria (sudden onset of flaccid limb weakness) for AFM to their state or local health department. Since AFM is a relatively new condition, we need information on all patients to help us better understand the spectrum of AFM illness, all possible causes, risk factors, and outcomes for this condition. Clinicians should send information on patients who meet the clinical criteria regardless of any laboratory results or MRI findings.1
Clinicians should work with their state or local health department to complete the patient summary form provided below as soon as possible after patient identification so that they can be monitored in real time. Information should be sent to the local or state public health department regardless of any laboratory and MRI results.1
How to report and AFM procedures can be found in the Job Aid for Clinicians PDF.
