Public Health Concerns & Outbreaks
| Outbreak of Acute Flaccid Myelitis - 10/17/2018 |
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IN THE NEWS
AFM is a rare (one in one million), but serious condition, that causes inflammation
in a person’s spinal cord, causing weakness in the arm(s) and/or leg(s). The majority
of cases are in children and adolescents, most of them in younger children. It is
believed to be a complication associated with certain viruses such as enteroviruses
(both polio and non-polio), adenoviruses, and West Nile virus. These viruses are
contagious and spread, with the exception of West Nile, like colds and flus; West
Nile is spread by mosquitos with rare transmission via blood transfusions, donated
organs, and from mother to baby through pregnancy, delivery or breast feeding. |
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What EMS should know: |
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For more information see: https://www.cdc.gov/acute-flaccid-myelitis/about-afm.html Download the Full Update, and Read EMS Specific Recommendations |
The CDC is investigating a large surge in reported cases of Acute Flaccid Myelitis
(AFM) for 2018 and reported 62 confirmed cases in 22 states through October 16, 2018.
These 62 confirmed cases are part of a larger group of 127 reported cases that the
CDC has received notice on and is investigating, along with state and local health
departments and hospitals. The CDC has decided to include in its releases, the number
of reported patient cases under investigation (PUIs), as well as confirmed cases,
so that health care providers, health care agencies, federal, state and local officials,
and the general population will be aware of the current outbreak situation. This
is a large uptick in cases compared to last year (2017) which reported a total of
33 cases in 16 states.
