Educational Resources

Primary goal:

A comprehensive update about Acute Flaccid Myelitis (AFM) focused on education and clinical preparedness in the setting of emerging and re-emerging viral disorders.

Target Audience:

This program was designed for health care providers including pediatricians, neurologists, infectious disease, rehabilitation, emergency and intensivist specialists, nursing professionals, rehabilitation personnel, researchers, families, and advocates involved in the diagnosis, care, and management of patients with AFM.

Logistics:

Three live virtual mini-symposia webinars focused on the most relevant aspects of AFM, from clinical diagnosis, critical care management, state-of-the-art research on virology, immunology, vaccines and pathogenesis, to rehabilitation and long-term management.

Links to each Symposium Lecture:

Virtual mini-symposium 1: August 18th, 2022 – AFM Diagnosis and Acute Management

Click here for the full playlist of AFM Mini Symposium 1 lectures

1. Dr. Catherine E. Otten, Seattle Children’s Hospital | University of Washington, presents “Clinical Presentation and Manifestations – when to consider AFM”
2. Dr. Molly Wilson-Murphy, Boston Children’s Hospital | Harvard Medical School, presents “Initial Evaluation for AFM”
3. Dr. Becky Riggs, Oregon Health Science University School of Medicine, presents “ICU/symptomatic management of AFM”
4. Adriana Lopez, MHS, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, presents “Specimen collection and reporting for suspected AFM cases”
5. Dr. Steve F. Kralik, Texas Children’s Hospital | Baylor College of Medicine, presents “Neuroradiological manifestations of AFM”
6. Dr. Sarah Hopkins, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, presents “Initial counseling for caregivers at the time of diagnosis of AFM”

Virtual mini-symposium 2: August 25th, 2022 – AFM Research Updates

Click here for the full playlist of AFM Mini Symposium 2 lectures

1. Dr. Emma Hodcroft, University of Bern, presents “Viral evolution and epidemiology of EV-D68”
2. Dr. Megan Culler Freeman, University of Pittsburgh, presents “Innate immune responses to EV-D68 in airways and gut”
3. Dr. William Jackson, University of Maryland School of Medicine, presents “Mechanisms of paralysis in AFM, a new understanding”
4. Dr. Matthew Vogt, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, presents “Monoclonal antibodies in the treatment of EV-D68 infection and AFM”
5. Dr. Bernardo Mainou, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, presents “New approaches for immunological and viral diagnosis of enteroviruses”
6. Dr. Peter Krug, National Institutes of Health, presents “Evaluating virus-like particle vaccines for EV-D68”

Virtual mini-symposium 3: September 8th, 2022 – Management of long-term consequences of AFM

Click here for the full playlist of AFM Mini Symposium 3 lectures

1. Dr. Travis Edmiston, Kennedy Krieger Institute | Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, presents “Acute rehabilitation: ICU and transition to inpatient acute rehabilitation”
2. Janet Dean, MS, RN, CRRN, CRNP, Kennedy Krieger Institute | Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, presents “The first year: Inpatient rehabilitation and transition to home and outpatient”
3. Dr. Michelle Melicosta, MPH, FAAP, Kennedy Krieger Institute | Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, presents “Respiratory and ventilatory rehabilitation”
4. Dr. Rajashree Srinivasan, Children’s House at Children’s Health, presents “Long-term rehabilitation: Long-term outcomes and management of secondary consequences”
5. Dr. Paul Sponsellar, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, presents “Orthopedic complications and management in spinal cord disorders and AFM”
6. Adriana Lopez, MHS, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, presents “Enteroviruses and AFM 2022 update”

1st AFM Virtual Symposia Series

The Acute Flaccid Myelitis Working Group, Johns Hopkins Medicine, and Kennedy Krieger Institute organized the first virtual symposium, Acute Flaccid Myelitis: What we have learned in order to be prepared.

The first three parts of the symposium have covered a breadth of topics on AFM diagnosis and acute management, critical care management, and understanding pathogenesis, viruses, and immunity. We summarize and highlight some of the key lessons we have learned from leaders in the community who have dedicated their careers to understanding AFM and helping families and children. Over 300 people registered for this symposium. All sessions were recorded and are available here.