(Dallas, TX) —  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed nine cases of a polio-like disease in North Texas this year.

Acute flaccid myelitis, or AFM, is a rare viral disease that mostly affects children who experience weakness in their arms and legs and then recover.  But AFM can also cause paralysis and respiratory failure.  Three cases have been confirmed in Tarrant County, one in both Parker and Kaufman Counties and two each in Dallas and Collin counties.  The CDC has confirmed a total of 16 cases in Texas this year, and 72 in 24 states nationwide.