What is acute flaccid myelitis (AFM)?

What is acute flaccid myelitis (AFM)?

AFM is an uncommon disease that resembles polio. The disease is one of the nervous system. Muscle tone and responses become weak (flaccid). Although AFM is rare, it can be very serious, even to the point of making breathing difficult.

Before being described in 2014, AFM might have been diagnosed as a type of transverse myelitis. However, one difference between AFM and transverse myelitis has been found by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. The gray matter of the spinal cord is inflamed in people with AFM.

The number of cases of AFM has been rising. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predict that less than 1 person per 1 million people per year in the US will develop AFM. So far, most of the reported cases have involved people younger than age 18, but adults can get AFM.