1、CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress INSIGHTINSIGHTi i Acute Flaccid Myelitis: How CDC Assists States in Investigating Emerging Diseases Kavya Sekar Analyst in Health Policy Sarah A. Lister Specialist in Public Health and Epidemiology Updated November 14, 2018 Concern has grow
2、n over the recent increase in Acute Flaccid Myelitis (AFM) cases around the country. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), AFM is a rare condition with no specific treatment that mostly impacts children. AFM affects a persons nervous system, particularly the gray matter
3、of the spinal cord, causing weakness in the arms and legs along with other symptoms. Media reports often refer to AFM as a “polio-like condition” because its symptoms mirror those associated with poliovirus infection. To date, all AFM cases have tested negative for poliovirus, and no single pathogen
4、 (germ) has been consistently detected in the patients spinal fluid. Some tests have detected enteroviruses or rhinoviruses, but no one virus type can explain all the cases. As of November 9, CDC has confirmed 90 cases of AFM in 27 states thus far in 2018. CDC began tracking AFM in August 2014, when
