QUINCY, FL (WTXL) - A Gadsden County student has died of meningitis, the school district said.
According to Superintendent Reginald James, a 7th grade female student at James A. Shanks Middle School died Wednesday night at a local hospital after contracting meningitis.
According to the Department of Health, this was a case of bacterial meningitis, which they said is not normally spread between people. The superintendent emphasized that no other students or staff are at risk.
Grief counselors were called in Thursday to help any students who need it, James said. Otherwise, he noted the school was operating normally, although saddened.
"We're a small community, and our thoughts go out to our students and our families," James said.
The Florida Department of Health notes that the best way to protect yourself against meningitis is receiving routine vaccinations against the disease.
