BRADENTON — The Florida Department of Health in Manatee County (DOH-Manatee) is working with health care providers, parents and administrators to respond to a case of meningococcal disease in a student enrolled in a Head Start Program located at Manatee Elementary School in Bradenton, Florida. Meningococcal disease is a very serious infection of the blood or membranes around the brain (meningitis). The disease is contagious and most common in infants, adolescents and young adults.
“We are working closely with Manatee Community Action Agency's Head Start and school officials and have determined the ill student only spent time in the Head Start and one VPK section of Manatee Elementary School,” said Dr. Jennifer Bencie, DOH-Manatee Administrator. “At no time were K-5 students exposed to the infected child.”
DOH-Manatee and school officials have provided preventive medication and information to parents of the 80 children and to 12 staff in the Head Start and VPK programs at Manatee Elementary School. Medications will continue to be made available to the students and staff over the next few days. Parents of students and staff in the remaining areas of the school were also notified. They are not at risk and do not require preventive medication.
The bacteria responsible for meningococcal disease, Neisseria meningitidis, are spread through person-to-person contact, such as occurs within a household. Examples include kissing, sharing utensils or toothbrushes, drinking from the same cup, sleeping in the same room as the infected person (household contacts), direct contact with a patient’s oral secretions, or coughing in close contact.
Symptoms of meningococcal disease may include high fever, severe headache, stiff neck, confusion, nausea, vomiting and a skin rash. Parents should seek medical attention immediately if their child becomes ill with any of these symptoms.
Residents should routinely practice good hygiene, such as covering their noses and mouths when sneezing or coughing; disposing of soiled tissues; not sharing utensils, glasses or toothbrushes; and washing hands after bathroom visits or before eating.
