About 2.2 out of 1,000 children born in 2002 were diagnosed with congenital cerebral palsy – stemming from brain damage before or during birth – according to findings published online earlier today in the journal Pediatrics.

That’s actually a slight increase over the 1985 numbers, where 1.9 per 1,000 were identified.

CDC researchers also found that rates of cerebral palsy varied significantly by race with black children more likely to have the condition as compared to white kids.

The findings indicate that improved care hasn’t lessened prevalence of Cerebral Palsy, though the number of children with co-occurring intellectual disability has declined.

“It is encouraging that the prevalence of congenital spastic CP did not increase over the 17-year time period, yet the absence of decline underscores the continued need for resources and support of children with CP and their families, as well as accelerated focus on understanding risk factors, targeting prevention strategies and reducing disparities,” wrote Kim Van Naarden Braun of the CDC’s National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities.