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Source: http://thefacts.com/story.lasso?ewcd=8e60aba7e6ed5f4c
Angleton teacher being treated for meningitis
By John Tompkins
The Facts
Published October 6, 2009
ANGLETON ? County health and Angleton ISD officials stressed Monday that Frontier Elementary School students are not at risk of contracting meningitis from a teacher who is being treated for the infection.
The Frontier Elementary teacher has been in the hospital for a while, but Angleton ISD officials didn?t learn until Saturday she had been diagnosed with meningitis, district officials said. The teacher likely could not have spread the disease to her students, said Dr. Leo O?Gorman, Brazoria County Health Department director.
?I have good information that she is not contagious,? O?Gorman said. ?She never was contagious.?
O?Gorman said the teacher is the only known meningitis case in Brazoria County. The health department is not recommending any preventive care for students at the campus, he said.
Angleton ISD officials said the teacher still is being treated in the intensive care unit at a Houston hospital. The district sent a letter home with students Monday explaining the situation.
?We hope her a speedy recovery,? Angleton ISD Superintendent Heath Burns said.
Officials declined to comment further about the first-grade teacher?s condition or her identity because of medical privacy laws.
Burns said the affected teacher likely had fewer than 20 students in her class.
Meningitis is an infection of the fluid of a person?s spinal cord and the tissue that surrounds the brain, O?Gorman said. Meningitis usually is caused by a viral or bacterial infection.
O?Gorman said the teacher has a rare form of bacterial meningitis that is not contagious.
The bacterial form is spread by the exchange of respiratory and throat secretions, such as by coughing or kissing. Officials said the teacher?s case of meningitis is a rare form of the infection.
Bacterial meningitis can cause severe brain damage, hearing loss and learning disabilities, states the National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention?s Web site.
Viral meningitis generally is less severe.
Angleton ISD spokeswoman Hanna Chalmers said the district called the parents of the teacher?s students to let them know about the matter. The teacher?s students will continue to attend class as normal, Chalmers said.
?Nothing was shut down or even stopped,? she said.
Parents who have questions can call the Brazoria County Health Department at 979-864-1484.
Officials said parents also can speak to their family physician if they want more information about meningitis.
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ABOUT MENINGITIS
Meningitis is an inflammation of the membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord. People sometimes refer to it as spinal meningitis.
Meningitis usually is caused by a viral or bacterial infection. Knowing whether meningitis is caused by a virus or bacterium is important because the severity of illness and the treatment differ depending on the cause.
Viral meningitis is generally less severe and clears up without specific treatment. But bacterial meningitis can be quite severe and might result in brain damage, hearing loss or learning disabilities.
Source: CDC
Angleton teacher being treated for meningitis
By John Tompkins
The Facts
Published October 6, 2009
ANGLETON ? County health and Angleton ISD officials stressed Monday that Frontier Elementary School students are not at risk of contracting meningitis from a teacher who is being treated for the infection.
The Frontier Elementary teacher has been in the hospital for a while, but Angleton ISD officials didn?t learn until Saturday she had been diagnosed with meningitis, district officials said. The teacher likely could not have spread the disease to her students, said Dr. Leo O?Gorman, Brazoria County Health Department director.
?I have good information that she is not contagious,? O?Gorman said. ?She never was contagious.?
O?Gorman said the teacher is the only known meningitis case in Brazoria County. The health department is not recommending any preventive care for students at the campus, he said.
Angleton ISD officials said the teacher still is being treated in the intensive care unit at a Houston hospital. The district sent a letter home with students Monday explaining the situation.
?We hope her a speedy recovery,? Angleton ISD Superintendent Heath Burns said.
Officials declined to comment further about the first-grade teacher?s condition or her identity because of medical privacy laws.
Burns said the affected teacher likely had fewer than 20 students in her class.
Meningitis is an infection of the fluid of a person?s spinal cord and the tissue that surrounds the brain, O?Gorman said. Meningitis usually is caused by a viral or bacterial infection.
O?Gorman said the teacher has a rare form of bacterial meningitis that is not contagious.
The bacterial form is spread by the exchange of respiratory and throat secretions, such as by coughing or kissing. Officials said the teacher?s case of meningitis is a rare form of the infection.
Bacterial meningitis can cause severe brain damage, hearing loss and learning disabilities, states the National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention?s Web site.
Viral meningitis generally is less severe.
Angleton ISD spokeswoman Hanna Chalmers said the district called the parents of the teacher?s students to let them know about the matter. The teacher?s students will continue to attend class as normal, Chalmers said.
?Nothing was shut down or even stopped,? she said.
Parents who have questions can call the Brazoria County Health Department at 979-864-1484.
Officials said parents also can speak to their family physician if they want more information about meningitis.
---
ABOUT MENINGITIS
Meningitis is an inflammation of the membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord. People sometimes refer to it as spinal meningitis.
Meningitis usually is caused by a viral or bacterial infection. Knowing whether meningitis is caused by a virus or bacterium is important because the severity of illness and the treatment differ depending on the cause.
Viral meningitis is generally less severe and clears up without specific treatment. But bacterial meningitis can be quite severe and might result in brain damage, hearing loss or learning disabilities.
Source: CDC