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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

6th child in Puget Sound may have nervous system disorder

Associated Press

OLYMPIA – State and local health officials on Thursday said they are investigating a possible sixth case of a rare nervous system disorder that causes sudden limb paralysis in children.

The condition is called acute flaccid myelitis, or AFM, which attacks the nervous system, particularly the spinal cord, and can lead to arm or leg weakness and loss of muscle reflexes.

The Washington Department of Heath says all the children are 6 or younger. They had symptoms of a respiratory illness in the week before developing symptoms of AFM. Five cases were reported earlier this week.

The children live in King, Pierce, Lewis, Snohomish and Skagit counties.

Specialists at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control will confirm the diagnoses. The CDC says the condition is not new but there’s been an increase in cases starting in 2014.