A staff member at IXL Elementary in Arkansas City is in the hospital after being diagnosed with bacterial meningitis ? an infection of the tissue surrounding the brain and spinal cord, district officials said Tuesday.
Administrators for USD 470 have been advised that the classroom creates a “low risk environment” for transmission of the disease so the risk to students should be minimal, district spokesperson Alisha Call said.
Custodial staff at the school are working to disinfect desks, keyboards, doorknobs and other surfaces that might harbor bacteria.
Dr. Ron Ballard, superintendent of schools in Arkansas City, said good hygiene and thorough hand washing with soap and warm water is the best prevention.
“The health and safety of our students and employees is the number one priority,” Dr. Ron Ballard, superintendent said. “We are doing everything possible to protect the health of students and limit the spread of germs and infection.”
Parents are asked to be aware of the common symptoms, which may seem like mild flu-like symptoms that progress to high fever, headache, stiff neck, nausea, vomiting, discomfort looking into bright lights, confusion and, or sleepiness.
Call could not identify the staff member by name but said IXL officials learned of the diagnosis Monday morning. The school contacted the City-Cowley County Health Department who referred the school to information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
David Brazil, the health department’s director, said his office was contacted and is awaiting confirmation of the diagnosis through the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
Bacterial meningitis is a reportable disease under state health guidelines.
Cultures from the affected school district employee will be tested to determine what specific type of bacteria caused the illness, Brazil said.
The ailing employee, a female, went to the doctor with symptoms over the weekend. She remains hospitalized and under the care of a physician, Call said.
Bacterial meningitis is a sometimes deadly disease that is fatal in 10 to 15 percent of cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is normally passed through the sharing of eating utensils, drinking from the same container and through exposure to mucous.
Parents are asked to notify the school if a positive diagnosis of bacterial meningitis is made. For more information, please call the district office at 441-2000 or contact your child’s school.
