SEATTLE (AP) — Health officials say one of eight children hospitalized in Washington state for a polio-like illness has died.

The Seattle Times reports the child was one of three still hospitalized in Seattle. The child was not identified.

Washington State Department of Health spokeswoman Julie Graham says 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 say the syndrome is not contagious.

More From News Talk KIT