Reporting Suspected Cases

Key points

  • You must report polio to CDC within 4 hours (paralytic polio) to 24 hours (non-paralytic polio).
  • You should also report potential cases of acute flaccid myelitis (AFM), a possible symptom of polio.

Reporting suspected cases of polio

If testing reveals presence of poliovirus, follow the guidance for polio reporting:

Urgent notification for polio cases‎

Paralytic polio has been classified as "Immediately notifiable, Extremely Urgent," which requires that local and state health departments contact CDC within 4 hours.



Non-paralytic polio has been classified as "Immediately notifiable, Urgent," which requires that local and state health departments contact CDC within 24 hours.

CDC (Emergency Operations Center, 770-488-7100) will provide consultation regarding:

  • The collection of appropriate clinical specimens needed for poliovirus detection
  • The initiation of appropriate consultations and procedures to rule out or confirm poliomyelitis
  • The compilation of medical records

For more information about what should be collected as part of a case investigation see:

Polio Chapter | Vaccine Preventable Diseases Surveillance Manual

Vaccines: Polio - Manual for The Surveillance of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases (Chapter 12)

Suspected Polio Case Worksheet

Reporting patients with symptoms

Patients who have sudden onset of limb weakness and an MRI with at least some gray matter involvement in the spinal cord could have acute flaccid myelitis (AFM). AFM can be a symptom of polio. Clinicians should report these cases to their state/local health department.

If you have received information about a patient under investigation (PUI) for AFM, you must do the following:

  • Work with the clinician to complete the patient summary form.
  • Collect the requested clinical information if available (such as MRI report, MRI images, neurology consult notes).
  • Contact CDC (AFMinfo@cdc.gov) to coordinate the case classification process.

How to report an AFM PUI

Use the following documentation and instructions to report an AFM PUI:

Data Collection for AFM

Information for clinicians and health departments on how to collect data and report suspected cases...

Patient Summary Form

Health Departments should complete this patient summary form in conjunction with the clinician when...

Patient Summary Form Instructions

Instructions for clinicians and health departments on how to complete the patient summary form. Clin...

The clinician should use the following documentation to collect specimens (part of testing for AFM includes testing for poliovirus):

AFM Specimens Collection Instructions

Early AFM specimen collection is critical. See AFM specimen collection instructions, including speci...

Note: It is critical to try and obtain two stool samples collected at least 24 hours apart, both collected as early in illness as possible and ideally within 14 days of illness onset. Poliovirus is most likely to be detected in stool.

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Content Source:
National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases; Division of Viral Diseases