CDC Warns Urgent Care: Parents May Be Arriving with Concerns Over More than Flu and COVID-19

As parents and school districts wrestle with the safest way to begin the school year in light of COVID-19, public health officials are bracing themselves for the day flu season starts to overlap with the pandemic. So, news that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expects new cases of acute flaccid myelitis to start mounting soon is concerning, to say the least. The CDC issued a warning that “2020 will be another peak year for (AFM),” which tends to flare up every other year; the previous “season” occurred in 2018. “Pediatricians and frontline providers in emergency departments and urgent care centers should be prepared to quickly recognize the symptoms,” which include sudden limb weakness, especially if that’s preceded by respiratory illness or fever and the presence of neck pain, back pain, or any neurologic symptoms, the CDC statement says. Early identification and hospitalization increase the chance of accurately predicting outcomes with AFM. You can read the entire text of the CDC announcement here.