| Description | |
| It has been reported that a female sixth grade student at West Geauga Middle School is being treated for viral meningitis. West Geauga Schools Superintendent Tom Diringer said that he could not confirm the case, but that it is "probably true." According to another news source, the student has been absent for several days and the school found out Thursday that the child is being treated for the illness. Meningitis is an inflammation of the membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Viral infections are the most common cause of meningitis; bacterial infections are the second most common cause. Viral meningitis is serious but rarely fatal in people with normal immune systems. Usually, the symptoms last from 7 to 10 days and the patient recovers completely. Bacterial meningitis, on the other hand, can be very serious and result in disability or death if not treated promptly. Often, the symptoms of viral meningitis and bacterial meningitis are the same. Symptoms can appear over several hours or develop in one to two days. Diringer noted that a reverse 911 call alerting parents to the situation would probably be initiated by West Geauga Middle School Principal Jim Kish. He added that the district was taking precautions through extra cleaning of classrooms and building facilities. No other cases of children experiencing meningitis-related symptoms have been reported as far as he knows. The superintendent advised that parents "observe their children and be vigilant for physical types of things" that might suggest presence of the infection. A person experiencing meningitis can be affected with some or all of the following symptoms, but maybe not at the same time: Severe headaches, high fever, painfully stiff neck, nausea and vomiting, numbness in hands and feet, light sensitivity, confusion, rash and seizures. |
| Biohazard name: | Viral meningitis |
| Biohazard level: | 3/4 Hight |
| Biohazard desc.: | Bacteria and viruses that can cause severe to fatal disease in humans, but for which vaccines or other treatments exist, such as anthrax, West Nile virus, Venezuelan equine encephalitis, SARS virus, variola virus (smallpox), tuberculosis, typhus, Rift Valley fever, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, yellow fever, and malaria. Among parasitesPlasmodium falciparum, which causes Malaria, and Trypanosoma cruzi, which causes trypanosomiasis, also come under this level. |
| Symptoms: | |
| Status: | confirmed |
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| WEST GEAUGA SUPERINTENDENT Thomas P. Diringer, Ed.D. |
http://www.westgeauga.k12.oh.us/
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| http://pathmicro.med.sc.edu |
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