WAFB 9 News Baton Rouge, Louisiana News, Weather, SportsEBR teen dies from Meningitis

A teenage girl who went to Central High School is dead after developing meningitis.

For privacy reasons, state health officials won't say the 10th grader attended Central High, but they do confirm meningitis is to blame for the East Baton Rouge teen's death.

State health officials say, unlike other strains of the illness, there has never been a confirmed case of someone exposed to this particular bug getting sick. "It is the type of meningitis that is not contagious and has never caused an outbreak. There is no cause for public health concern," said Ken Pastorick, Public Information Officer with Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals.

That is why in cases like these, the CDC and the state says there is not reason to give antibiotics to protect people who have never been exposed.

Without referencing Central High, Dr. Raul Ratard, a State Epidemiologist, says giving antibiotics to prevent a form of meningitis that has never caused an outbreak would do more harm than good. He says that is because taking them without a firm recommendation would make them less likely to work when they're really needed.

Dr. Ratard also responded by saying:

"Meningitis may be caused by more than 100 different bacteria, viruses and fungi. Among bacterial meningitis commonly occurring in the USA only two kinds require some preventive treatment (vaccine or antibiotics) for close contacts because small outbreaks did occur. This is based on experience for the past 50 years. Since this case was not caused by either one, there is no concern for an outbreak and no need for public health intervention except providing basic information to the concerned people.

This meningitis falls in the category of meningitis caused by common colonizers. A colonizer is a bacteria that lives on the throat, mouth, nose, skin of people. There are harmless unless the colonized person's defenses are defective for some temporary reason. Then the colonizer starts an infection /disease that could be fatal. A close contact of the sick person is not at risk because there are able to contain the colonizers at this point."

Although the CDC says this case is no cause for concern, Central High School officials say if your child has a fever or flu-like symptoms, you should take them to the doctor.

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