Doctors don’t know why hundreds of kids are suddenly paralyzed
8 Washington kids hospitalized with polio-like symptoms
Associated Press
SEATTLE — Health officials say one of eight children hospitalized in Washington state for a polio-like illness has died.
The Seattle Times reported the child was one of three still hospitalized in Seattle. The child was not identified.
Washington State Department of Health spokeswoman Julie Graham said the cause of death has not yet been determined.
Medical officials suspect the children have a condition known as acute flaccid myelitis (AFM), which affects the nervous system and specifically the spinal cord. The Washington cases have not been confirmed as AFM, but are being investigated as such.
All eight children ranging in age from 3 to 14 had a loss of strength or movement in one or more arms or legs with a range of types and severity of symptoms.
Doctors said the syndrome is not contagious.
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