DANVILLE — Although a suspected case of aseptic (viral) meningitis has been confirmed in a Danville Schools employee, there is no cause for alarm, according to Jackie Fletcher of the Knox County Health Department. “It’s not unusual for isolated cases of viral meningitis to break out in the spring,” she said. “Mumps, measles or chicken pox can trigger viral meningitis. ... It’s really nothing that people should be overly concerned about.”
As a cautionary measure, the Danville administration informed parents by letter about the situation, recommended that they be on the lookout for certain symptoms and suggested some ways to prevent or reduce the spread of the virus. The letter also advised parents to contact their doctor or the Knox County Health Department with further questions.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, meningitis is an illness in which there is inflammation of the tissues that cover the brain and spinal cord. Aseptic, or viral, meningitis is the most common form of the disease; the majority of the cases of viral meningitis are caused by enteroviruses.
Aseptic meningitis can be serious but is rarely fatal in persons with normal immune systems. Fletcher said it is usually diagnosed by laboratory tests of spinal fluid obtained with a spinal tap, and that is usually done to confirm the absence of a more virulent form. No specific treatment for the viral form exists at this time; the symptoms usually last from seven to 10 days, with the patient typically making a full recovery.
Most infected persons either have no symptoms or develop only a cold or rash with low-grade fever. Only a small proportion of infected persons actually develop meningitis. Therefore, according to the CDC, if you are around someone who has viral meningitis, you have a moderate chance of becoming infected, but a very small chance of developing meningitis.
Although the symptoms of meningitis may not be the same for every person, the more common symptoms are fever, severe headaches, stiff neck, sensitivity to bright lights, drowsiness or confusion and nausea and vomiting. The incubation period for the enteroviruses is usually between three and seven days from the time a person is infected until symptoms show up. An infected individual can usually spread the virus to someone else beginning about three days after being infected until about 10 days after symptoms develop.
The CDC Web site stated it can be difficult to prevent the spread of the virus. However, as the Danville letter stated, good personal hygiene can help reduce one’s chances of becoming infected. The most effective method of prevention is to wash hands thoroughly and often. Also, an effective way to kill the virus is to first clean contaminated surfaces and soiled articles with soap and water and then disinfect them with a dilute solution of chlorine bleach, which is what Danville did.
Danville’s Superintendent Dan Harper said the district followed up with the recommendations made by the health department. Besides notifying parents, he said, “We went in and did some extra cleaning in that area and did some sanitizing and made sure things were washed down. We were taking the precautions that we needed to take to make sure that the staff and children are safe.”