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The death of a Vicksburg first grader has many on alert and asking questions about the potentially deadly bacterial infection. Test results from a 6-year-old who died from bacterial meningitis are expected by Wednesday. Preliminary reports show she did not have a form of the infection that's typically contagious.
Health department officers were at 6-year-old Vshanti Washington's school on Tuesday; she attended Dana Road Elementary in Vicksburg. Officials identified only six classmates who had close contact with the girl. Their parents were notified and encouraged to get them on antibiotics.
On Sunday, Washington died at Blair E. Batson's Hospital for children. The health department says some staff members have been given preventative medications. Staff members at River Region, where she was first taken, are also being checked out.
Faculty and administrators at Dana Road Elementary fielded calls and answered questions from concerned parents.
"Our hearts are sent out to the parents to let them know we are there for them, and that we are very compassionate," said school nurse Victoria Thomas.
Health department officials want parents to know they don't expect a meningitis spread.
Dr. Skip Nolan, an infectious disease specialist at University of Mississippi Medical Center, says there are two basic forms of meningitis. One is easily treated if caught early and is rarely contagious or deadly, and the other is much more contagious and dangerous.
"Individuals dealing with the person with meningitis wear mask for the first 24 hours that the person's in the hospital," he said. "After 24 hours, their antibiotic therapy will render them non-infectious."
Many colleges urge first-year students to get the meningitis vaccine. Mississippi doesn't have a law requiring college students to get vaccinated, but schools like Mississippi State University, University of Mississippi, University of Southern Mississippi and Mississippi College are required to give students information about the disease. Administrators strongly recommend students get vaccinated.
Renee Cole, a professor of nursing at Mississippi College's School of Nursing, says meningitis has similar symptoms to the flu: fever; chills; and vomiting.
"One of the difficulties is that it looks like it could be a minor infection of some sorts," she said.
But meningitis is no minor infection. Cole says if left untreated, it can lead to arm and leg amputations, brain damage and even death.
College students are especially susceptible because they live in close quarters where the disease can spread easily through coughing and sneezing. According to the American College Health Association, around 125 cases of meningitis surface on college campus each year and almost 15 percent of infected students die.
"They tend to get less sleep, and they tend to do less hand-washing, and they tend to share drinks," said Cole. "If you think of the cost of the vaccination versus having the disease itself, then it's much better to have the vaccination."
The meningitis vaccine costs about $100 and is recommended for children between the ages of 11 and 18.
Disease rates peak between the ages of 15 and 20, so if you're a college student starting school this fall, experts say it's better to be safe than sorry.
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