On September 13, 2022, the West Virginia Bureau for Public Health sent Health Advisory #205 to doctors, hospitals and other health care facilities. It covered acute flaccid myelitis, or AFM, a rare illness that affects the spinal cord.
AFM causes sudden, floppy weakness in an arm or leg. Other signs include facial droop, trouble moving the eyes, drooping eyelids, and trouble swallowing or slurred speech. Cases tend to peak in September and October, with larger numbers in 2014, 2016 and 2018.
As of September 2, 2022, the U.S. had 13 confirmed cases that year. CDC had counted 692 confirmed cases since it began tracking AFM in August 2014. West Virginia had reported 3 cases in that time. AFM can follow some viral infections, including enteroviruses such as EV-D68. A few days earlier, CDC had warned of more children in the hospital with severe breathing illness linked to these viruses.
AFM is a reportable condition in West Virginia. Doctors were asked to report suspected cases to the local health department, to rule out polio, and to collect spinal fluid, blood, stool and respiratory samples as early as possible. People were told to get care right away for sudden limb weakness.
This guidance is from September 2022. It is kept here as a record and is not current advice. Check current guidance from the CDC or your doctor.