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5 Facts you should know about

Acute flaccid myelitis (AFM)

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1

AFM affects the spinal cord, leading to muscle weakness and loss of reflexes

2

Most people who develop AFM have had a viral illness with flu-like symptoms 1 to 4 weeks before symptoms of AFM

3

Symptoms of AFM include sudden onset (acute) of weakness in the arm(s) or leg(s), loss of muscle tone, and decreased or absent reflexes

4

AFM is rare, but an increasingly recognized cause of paralysis, occurring primarily in children

5

The underlying mechanism involves damage to the spinal cord's grey matter

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