A Ladd Lane Elementary School student was diagnosed with meningitis last week and died from the illness over the weekend.
Hollister School District Superintendent Gary McIntire said that school officials were notified of the illness on Tuesday and sent home notices to families to be aware of the symptoms of the disease.
As of Monday, the school officials were preparing a notice to send home to families that the child had died and that there would be counselors on hand to talk with students.
“Obviously, it’s difficult when a child has been in school and you know who the person is and formed relationships,” McIntire said, of the counseling that would be available. “If children or a student would need some help in dealing with any grief concerns” or school staff, there will be counselors on site this week, he added.
McIntire could not disclose the identity or any personal information about the student, but did say that the district has not been notified of any other cases of the illness.
“From what we could piece together with the school nurse, the student did not show symptoms at school,” McIntire said, stating that they believe the student was home during most of the incubation period of the illness when it would have been contagious.
The symptoms of meningitis include sudden fever, headache and stiff neck. It can be accompanied by other symptoms including nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light and an altered mental status. Older children or adults may experience a rash.
Meningitis is an inflammation of the membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord. It can be caused by a variety of factors, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The local case was caused by a bacterial infection, which can cause brain damage, hearing loss, limb amputation and learning disabilities – along with death as in this case. It can also be caused by a virus, physical injury, fungal infection or a parasite.
Early treatment with antibiotics can lower the risk of dying from the illness to below 15 percent.
While bacterial meningitis can be passed through coughing or kissing, the bacteria is not spread as easily as the common cold or flu. It is not spread through casual contact or by breathing the air where a person with meningitis has been, according to the CDC website. People are in close contact with a person – who has been diagnosed and who might have shared saliva with meningitis – should receive antibiotics to prevent them from getting the disease.
A vaccine is available for two of the three most common causes of meningitis. It is recommended for children 11 to 18.
