Dacula 8th-grader has bacterial meningitis

DACULA - A Dacula Middle School student stricken with bacterial meningitis is improving steadily through treatment with antibiotics, the Gwinnett County health department spokesman said Wednesday.<br> <br> A culture test today confirmed the girl has bacterial meningitis, said Vernon Goins, a spokesman for the Gwinnett health department. The department has contacted most of the girl&#39;s close contacts, including family and close friends who would have spent at least 24 hours around the girl, and none has tested positive for the disease, Goins said.<br> <br> Although many parents called the health department Tuesday, after the school sent a letter home, Goins said he was not aware of any reported illnesses.<br> <br> The eighth-grader remained hospitalized Wednesday, but &#34;the child is responding well to treatment,&#34; Goins said.<br> <br> The female student has not been in school since Nov. 25, the day before school recessed for Thanksgiving break, a Gwinnett County school system spokeswoman said.<br> <br> Because of the break, Dacula Middle School Principal Georgia Barnwell told parents the probability of exposure to other students is low.<br> <br> But her letter, sent home with students, said the county Health Department advises parents to watch their children carefully. If children exhibit symptoms such as a sudden onset of fever, intense headache, stiff neck, backache, nausea and vomiting, parents should contact physicians and advise them about the possibility of meningitis exposure, the letter says.<br> <br> Bacterial meningitis is rarer and more severe than viral meningitis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Both are infections of the fluid in the spinal cord or around the brain. Bacterial meningitis is fatal nearly 15 percent of the time.<br> <br> Dacula Middle School has nearly 3,000 students and is Gwinnett&#39;s most crowded campus. The school posted Health Department information about meningitis on its Web site Tuesday that indicates the symptoms can appear between two to 10 days after exposure.<br> <br> &#34;Casual contact, as in the usual school setting, does not spread the bacteria,&#34; Barnwell wrote. &#34;The bacteria that causes meningitis are spread through the exchange of respiratory and throat secretions, such as through kissing.&#34;<br> <br> Sloan Roach, spokeswoman for the Gwinnett school system, would not identify the student, citing federal law that protects medical information. Barnwell could not be reached for comment. In her letter, she told parents she was informing them of the suspected case of bacterial meningitis because &#34;I felt it was important for our parents and community to be aware of this.&#34;<br> <br> Several parents said they appreciated the notification.<br> <br> Beverly O&#39;Toole, whose son is in the seventh grade, said she felt confident he was not in contact with the child. &#34;At this point we are not concerned.&#34;<br> <br> Peg Perkins, mother of a sixth-grader, said she felt there was little chance of her child being exposed, but said, &#34;I would keep an eye out if my child has a high fever.&#34;

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