Number of confirmed AFM cases in the U.S. from 2018-2022, by race/ethnicity
During the year 2022, there were a total of 27 confirmed acute flaccid myelitis cases recorded in the U.S. among white youth younger than 18 years, compared to three cases among Asian Americans. Acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) is a rare but serious neurological disease involving the spinal cord. Some of the characteristics of the condition resemble polio.