7-Year-Old Diagnosed With Meningitis

Friday, March 23rd 2007, 2:34 pm

By: News On 6

Health officials in Creek County have announced that a 7-year-old boy has been diagnosed with bacterial meningitis. The boyâ€™s family and classmates have been offered antibiotics as a precaution. The News On 6â€™s Emory Bryan reports this is the sixth diagnosed case of the disease this year.

The latest meningitis diagnosis follows two other cases at Oklahoma State University earlier this year. In both cases there, students contracted the illness and are now recovering.

Besides this new case in Creek County there have also been cases in Oklahoma, Payne and Rogers counties since January first, a total of 6 cases statewide.

In the Creek County case the health department in Sapulpa is offering antibiotics to classmates of the little boy. It's not recommended because they don't think he passed it to anyone. Authorities say the boys symptoms appeared while he was on spring break, and spreading meningitis generally requires direct contact with mucus or saliva.

There's more information about meningitis, what it is and how it prevent it from spreading click here.

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