Suffolk health officials say an 8-year-old student in the South Country School District likely died of a variation of meningitis Thursday.

Officials say the third-grade boy complained to his parents of a stiff back, neck and arm pain Wednesday night. He woke up Thursday morning with a temperature of 106 degrees and had lesions on his arms, officials say.

The boy was taken to the hospital, where his blood pressure plummeted. He was then transferred to another hospital, but died.

Suffolk Health Commissioner Humauyn Chaundhry won?t confirm the cause of death but says it is likely meningococcemia. The illness spreads through the blood stream and is transmitted similarly to meningitis, he says.

The district superintendent says he notified parents by a phone message detailing the possible cause of death. He says all questions can be directed to the Suffolk Health Department or South Country district office.