CDC Telebriefing: New Vital Signs Report

Media Advisory

Embargoed Until: Tuesday, August 4, 2020, 1:00 p.m. ET
Contact: Media Relations
(404) 639-3286

What
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) anticipates that 2020 will be another outbreak year for acute flaccid myelitis (AFM), an uncommon but serious neurologic condition. According to the latest CDC Vital Signs report, over half of patients with AFM in 2018 – the most recent and largest outbreak of AFM – were admitted to the ICU, and 1 in 4 of those patients required a ventilator. Pediatricians and frontline providers in emergency departments and urgent care centers should be prepared to quickly recognize AFM and immediately hospitalize patients.

Who
CDC Director Robert R. Redfield, M.D.
Thomas Clark, M.D., M.P.H., Pediatrician and CDC Deputy Director of the Division of Viral Diseases

When
Tuesday, August 4, at 12:00 p.m. ET

Dial-In
Media: 888-832-5930
INTERNATIONAL: 1-312-470-7205
PASSCODE: CDC Media
Non-Media: 800-369-1602
PASSCODE: 1792134

Important Instructions
If you would like to ask a question during the call, press *1 on your touchtone phone. Press *2 to withdraw your question.
You may queue up at any time. You will hear a tone to indicate your question is pending.

TRANSCRIPT
A transcript will be available following the briefing at CDC’s web site: www.cdc.gov/media.

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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

CDC works 24/7 protecting America’s health, safety and security. Whether disease start at home or abroad, are curable or preventable, chronic or acute, or from human activity or deliberate attack, CDC responds to America’s most pressing health threats. CDC is headquartered in Atlanta and has experts located throughout the United States and the world.