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Hernando Today

Meningitis Patient Home From Hospital

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By HERNANDO TODAY STAFF

Published: February 11, 2009

BROOKSVILLE - The West Hernando Middle School student who contracted meningitis is out of the hospital.

The seventh-grader was discharged Tuesday, said Ann-Gayl Ellis, spokeswoman for the Hernando County Health Department.

The health department confirmed last Friday a student had bacterial meningitis, though officials did not specify the severity of the case. Symptoms include intense headache, fever, nausea and stiff neck, loss of appetite, progressive drowsiness, vomiting and rashes. Severe cases can cause delirium or coma.

School officials notified parents of West Hernando Middle students by phone and letter. The news didn't prompt many parents to keep their child at home last week, West Hernando Middle's absentee records show.

The type of meningitis contracted by the student is spread through intimate contact such as kissing or eating and drinking after an infected person. It rarely survives outside the body for more than a few minutes.

Health officials urge parents to keep a close eye on their children and see a doctor if they experience any of the symptoms.

Meningitis vaccine is available and now recommended for many middle, high school and college-age patients. The health department can provide this vaccine to children 18 years and younger free of charge through the Vaccines for Children program.

For more information on meningitis or the vaccine, call the Hernando County Health Department at 352-540-6800, Ext. 82197, or visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site at www.cdc.gov.

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