A San Ysidro High School student has been diagnosed with meningococcal disease, according to the to San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA.)
The 17-year-old boy was admitted to the hospital Saturday and is recovering, health officials said.
The teen may have exposed others to the potentially deadly disease between Nov. 14 and Nov. 21. Family members and others who were in close contact with the boy have been notified, according to HHSA. Those individuals can receive antibiotics to prevent infection.
Meningococcal disease is spread through close contact – like sharing cups or kissing – but not through casual contact, according to County Public Health Officer Wilma Wooten, M.D., M.P.H.
"Therefore, the risk to those who were not in close, direct contact is minimal,” Wooten said in a news release.” She does not recommend preventive antibiotics for people who did not have close contact with the patient and are not showing symptoms.
Symptoms of meningococcal disease include fever, intense headache, lethargy, stiff neck and rash. Symptoms will appear between two and 10 days after exposure.
Eight cases of meningococcal disease have been reported in San Diego County this year, according to health officials. Over the last five years, there has been an average of 10 cases a year in the county.
In October, San Diego State University freshman Sara Stelzer, 18, died after contracting Neisseria meningitidis, the same bacteria detected in the latest case.
Patrick Henry High School student Jewelean Pimentel, 14, also died in February from meningococcal disease.
Local
A vaccine that prevents certain strains of the disease is recommended for children 11 to 18. Health officials advice students who received their first dose before age 15 should get a booster before going to college.
