Suspected bacterial meningitis has officials, parents on alert

AMHERST, Ohio (AP) -- School officials have warned parents of about 4,200 pupils to watch for symptoms of a potentially fatal form of meningitis because of a suspected case.
A 13-year-old pupil at Amherst Junior High School has been hospitalized. Medical tests on the boy are not yet complete, Lorain County Health Commissioner Ken Pearce said Saturday.
"We're operating under the assumption that it is bacterial meningitis," he said. Bacterial meningitis causes inflammation of the tissues surrounding the brain and spinal cord.
Officials said they could not reveal the name of the boy or where he is hospitalized, because of federal medical privacy rules.
The pupil developed symptoms after returning from a school trip to Washington, D.C., and he entered a hospital last Monday.
He is responding to treatment, said Janine Trottier, a communicable-disease nurse at the Lorain County General Health District.
Ten other junior high pupils, including three who shared his hotel room and others who sat near him during the bus trip, have been given an antibiotic as a precaution, Trottier said.
Anyone with symptoms of the disease, including headache, fever, nausea, stiff neck or confusion, should see a doctor immediately, Trottier said. The 13-year-old had experienced foot pain and diarrhea, she said.
Trottier said some forms of meningitis are contagious and can be spread by breathing bacteria in the air or by other close contact, such as sharing a drink.