Meningococcal Disease Reported at Local School

A staff member at a local elementary school has contracted meningococcal disease, officials with the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) confirmed.

The staff member works at Porter Elementary School in the San Diego Unified School District and was last on campus on Mar. 15.

The HHSA has notified people who may have come in close contact with the individual and told them they should take antibiotics to ward off any possible infection. The infected individual is being treated at a local hospital.

According to the HHSA, meningococcal disease is spread through close contact with the person infected, such as sharing drinking glasses, eating utensils, cigarettes or water bottles.

Symptoms may include fever, intense headache, lethargy, stiff neck and a rash that does not blanch under pressure. The time between exposure and onset of symptoms can be between two to 10 days.

The HHSA says the disease can be treated with antibiotics or vaccination, which is highly recommended for children and teens between 11 and 18 years old.

This case of meningococcal disease at Porter Elementary School is the third of its kind reported in San Diego in 2013. Last year there were eight cases total.

Earlier this week, an unexpected increase in meningitis in Mexico prompted the HHSA to alert officials at San Diego County schools.

Tijuana has reported at least 18 cases of meningococcal disease since Jan. 4 involving patients ranging in age from a baby to 27 years old. There have been six related deaths, an HHSA official told NBC 7.

Last week, health officials reported two meningococcal cases in San Diego. A 39-year-old man died of the disease. A one-year-old child was hospitalized and recovered. The cases were unrelated and it's believed the patients had not traveled to Tijuana.

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