DISD warns of meningitis case

By Christopher Smith Gonzalez
The Daily News
Published October 12, 2011

DICKINSON — Dickinson Independent School District is informing parents and students that an employee might have meningococcal meningitis.

The school district was informed by the Galveston County Health District late Monday that an employee was suspected of having the bacterial meningitis, a potentially deadly disease.

The school and health districts are awaiting test results, which could take up to five days, to confirm the diagnosis.

In the meantime the school district has sent a letter from the health district with students and employees who might have been in close contact with the employee.

A letter from Vicki Mims, the school district’s superintendent, also was sent home with all students in the district explaining the situation.

Because of health information privacy laws, the school district cannot say who the employee is. School district spokeswoman Tammy Dowdy said any work areas the employee might have come in contact with have been disinfected.

“(We) just want people to be aware of it and if their children exhibit any symptoms to seek medical attention,” Dowdy said.

Dowdy said students should continue to attend class and school will continue as normal.

In the letter to parents, the Galveston County Health District said “there is no cause for alarm.”

Meningitis, an inflammation of the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord, is contracted fewer than 3,000 people in the United States every year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The disease can be deadly in up to 15 percent of cases but is treatable.

The disease is rare, only four cases of meningococcal meningitis have been reported in the county since 2008, said Kurt Koopmann, spokesman for the health district.

It also is difficult to catch. Just being in the same room is not enough to catch the disease, the health district said.

A person would need to come in direct contact with nose or throat fluids of the infected person to catch meningitis. Coughing, kissing, sharing utensils or drinking after the infected person can spread those fluids.

Koopmann said the health district has contacted anyone who might have been in close contact with the employee and started them on preventive medicine.

“We just want to make sure that people know that this isn’t anything to be overly concerned about,” Koopmann said.

He said anyone with questions should contact their health care provider, and the health district is encouraging everyone to practice good hygiene.

(News Media: For more information contact Kurt Koopmann, GCHD Public Information Officer, 409-938-2211 or kkoopman@gchd.org)