For the second time in Maine, an elementary student in Cumberland County has been diagnosed with viral meningitis, an inflammation of the membranes protecting the spinal cord and the brain. Officials say the student has been hospitalized and is being treated.
Jeff Porter, superintendent for Maine School Administrative District 51, said the student currently attends the Mabel I. Wilson School. Meanwhile, the first reported case of the disease was a high school student who was hospitalized in Biddeford.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) noted that viral meningitis is the most common type of meningitis, and is less severe than bacterial meningitis. Symptoms typically include headache, fever, nausea, poor appetite, sensitivity to bright light and lethargy.
Health officials say that viral meningitis is generally contagious because the virus that causes the disease can be easily transmitted between people. There is no current specific treatment for viral meningitis. Those who acquire it often recover without treatment within a week to 10 days, although the disease can be more severe for people with weak immune systems or infants and children under 5 years old.
Porter suggests that students should make it a habit to wash their hands frequently, avoid close contact and touching one's face with unwashed hands, cover their faces when coughing or sneezing, clean frequently touched surfaces and just stay home if sick.
Meanwhile, bacterial meningitis is a rare disease and can lead to death. The disease can cause complications such as loss of hearing, brain damage and learning disabilities. In the United States, about 4,100 cases of bacterial meningitis, including 500 deaths, occurred every year during 2003 to 2007.
In Michigan, a high school student from Grand Blanc Community Schools was diagnosed with viral meningitis. A student from Dailey Elementary was also sent to the hospital because of the disease.
Dr. Douglas Hoch, medical director for the Muskegon County health department, said that cases of viral meningitis were usual at this time of year. About 20 cases of the disease were reported so far this year, health officials said.
"It's always up and down," Hoch said. "But we're definitely having a year."
The medical chief said that most people who are exposed to the virus don't easily show symptoms, so he emphasized that regular handwashing was important.
Photo: Mark Hillary | Flickr
