Meningitis Confirmed at Bradenton School

The Manatee County Health Department has confirmed a case of meningococcal disease at Manatee Elementary School in Bradenton.

Meningococcal disease, also known as meningitis, is an infection of the blood or membranes around the brain. It is contagious and is most common in infants, children and young adults.

The confirmed case involves a child in the school’s Head Start Program, the health department stated in a media release.

“We are working closely with Manatee Community Action Agency’s Head Start and school officials and have determined the ill student only spent time in the Head Start and one VPK section of Manatee Elementary School,” Dr. Jennifer Bencie, the county’s health administrator, was quoted in the release as saying. “At no time were K-5 students exposed to the infected child.”

See Also:

• Measles a Growing Concern in Florida, Health Officials Say
• CDC: Adults Need Immunizations, Too

Preventative medications and information have been provided to 80 children and 12 staff members in the school’s Head Start and Voluntary Pre-K programs. Medications will also be made available to staff and students over the next few days and notifications were sent to all parents at the school, the release stated.

Unexposed children in grades K-5, however, do not require preventative medicine, the agency noted.

The bacteria that cause meningitis are spread through person-to-person contact, most commonly through kissing, sharing eating utensils or toothbrushes. Coughing in close contact, sleeping in the same room or drinking from the same cup can also spread the infection, the health department stated.

Symptoms of the potentially fatal disease include high fever, severe headache, stiff neck, confusion, vomiting, nausea and a skin rash. Anyone with these symptoms is urged to seek medical care immediately.

“Meningococcal meningitis is very serious and can be fatal,” the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes on its website. “In fatal cases, deaths can occur in as little as a few hours. In non-fatal cases, permanent disabilities can include hearing loss and brain damage.”

For more information about meningitis, visit the CDC online.

Image via Shutterstock

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