Meningitis Confirmed In Ada County High School Student

A case of potentially deadly bacterial meningitis has been confirmed in an Eagle High School student in Idaho’s Ada County.

Meanwhile, a Weippe teenager and a University of Idaho student who have suffered amputations from the disease are holding their own.

A notice warning parents of Eagle and Centennial high school students to watch for symptoms was sent home Friday, just as the nine-day spring break began.

The student, a ninth-grade girl, was hospitalized and tests confirmed invasive meningococcal meningitis, a bacterial infection that causes swelling around the brain and spinal cord.

Letters from the Central District Health Department were sent home, asking parents to be on the lookout for symptoms such as a high fever, a stiff neck and a severe headache.

No other cases have been reported.

“If they have the symptoms, we want them to contact a doctor immediately,” said Ruby Hawkins of Central District Health. “The girl has been in the hospital and has been very ill, so this can be very serious.”

Officials did not release her name. She has a sister who attends Centennial High.

Hawkins said the risk of developing a serious illness after being exposed is less than 1 percent.

A small number of people who had close contact with the girl are being treated with preventative antibiotics.