Wise Choices for You & Your Family
24
WHAT IS:
ACUTE FLACCID
MYELITIS (AFM) of the nervous system that may include lab tests of the spinal
fluid and taking an MRI of the spinal cord and the brain. There
is no specific treatment for AFM but occupational and physical
theory is often prescribed to help the patient recover from the
arm and leg weakness caused by AFM.
The CDC is researching AFM to find out more about what causes
it and what the long-term effects are. AFM remains somewhat
of a mystery since in most cases reported to the CDC, lab tests
were not able to pinpoint what caused AFM. In some cases, a
viral infection or exposure to an environmental toxin has been
identified as the cause.
Receiving a polio vaccine can help prevent the AFM that may
result from a poliovirus infection, but this vaccine will not
protect your child against other viruses, such as non-polio
enteroviruses and West Nile virus, that may also cause AFM.
The best means of protection against those viral infections is
good hand washing in addition to avoiding mosquito bites,
since some mosquitos carry the West Nile virus.
Acute flaccid myelitis, often referred to as AFM, is a serious
but rare medical disorder that affects the nervous systems
in the body, specifically the gray matter in the spinal cord.
This condition leads to weakness in the muscles and the
reflexes of the body, especially in the arms and legs. Most
cases of AFM that have been reported to the CDC have
occurred in kids under the age of 20. Other symptoms
that appear in some cases include difficulty speaking
or swallowing and facial weakness. In very rare cases,
the muscles that control breathing are affected and the
patient has difficulty breathing.
According to the CDC, AFM is extremely rare and less than
one in a million people will get it each year. The symptoms
of AFM can resemble those of other neurological disorders,
but doctors are able to diagnose AFM through an analysis
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