Acute Flaccid Myelitis (AFM)
Acute Flaccid Myelitis (AFM) is a rare condition that affects the nervous system, specifically the spinal cord. It has a variety of causes, including viral infections. A person who appears to have a sudden onset of weakness in the arms or legs, should contact a health care provider.
Public
Learn about Acute Flaccid Myelitis
Health care professionals
Report a case
- Report all patients with sudden onset of neurologic illness associated with limb weakness who meet the case definition below.
- Health Update: Neurologic complications associated with enterovirus A71 infection in children
- Health Advisory: Neurologic complications associated with enterovirus A71 in children
- AFM case definition.
- Letter to providers.
- CDC: specimen collection for AFM.
- CDC: Patient Summary Form.
- Instructions for completing the AFM Patient Summary Form.
- CDC Acute Flaccid Myelitis.
Cases of acute flaccid myelitis in Colorado by onset year
Onset year | Number of cases* |
|---|---|
2014 | 11 |
2015 | 1 |
2016 | 1 |
2017 | 1 |
2018 | 17** |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 2 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 4 |
| 2023 | - |
| 2024 | - |
| 2025 | - |
*Numbers reflect confirmed and probable AFM cases. CDC reports only confirmed cases, so numbers may differ.
**12 of 17 cases of acute flaccid myelitis tested positive for enterovirus A-71, two tested positive for enterovirus D-68, three were negative for enteroviruses.
Last updated: July, 16, 2025
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