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NORTH MANCHESTER - Today Manchester High School is mourning the death of a second student this year to bacterial meningitis.
Kyle A. Music, 17, died at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Lutheran Hospital from the disease. Music, a junior in school, played junior varsity basketball for the high school and was going to become an Eagle Scout, the highest level of boy scouting achievement, this weekend.
To help students through this time, grief counselors and pastors are available all day, superintendent Diane Showalter said. Also, students were encouraged to grieve openly and create tributes to Music.
Manchester's senior class lost a student, Jared Airgood, to the disease in August. According to Showalter, the students "are taking it very, very hard," especially those who were close to both boys.
In May, Whitko High School senior Cameron Brown died from the disease.
Meningococcal disease, or meningitis, infects the brain and spine. It is characterized by a stiff neck, flu-like symptoms and a rash. Children and young adults are most susceptible to the disease.
According to Margaret Joseph, director of the Indiana State Department of Health, 5 to 10 percent of America's population is infected with the bacteria that causes meningitis. Of the infected population, few ever develop full-blown meningitis. Five to 10 percent of those who do develop the disease will die, Joseph said.
The disease can be transmitted by people who carry the bacteria but never develop symptoms.
Hans Messersmith, director of surveillance and investigation at the Indiana State Department of Health, said tracking the disease and showing relationship between cases is difficult.
"This disease is a very difficult one to follow from our perspective," Messersmith said. "It just happens sporadically."
To help avoid the disease, Messersmith advised good personal hygeine practices and not sharing drinks, food or cigarettes.
If a person has been in contact with someone with the disease or is exhibiting symptoms, they should see a doctor immediately where antibiotics can be prescribed. If caught within the earliest stages, 95 percent of all meningitis cases are curable with no long-term problems.
In this case, people who had contact with Music were directed to local doctors. Dr. Rex Wieland, one of the physicians recommended by MHS, said he spoke with many concerned people over the weekend and prescribed preventative medications to those with direct contact with Music.
According to Wieland, only those with direct physical contact with Music, where bodily fluids were passed, have grounds to worry.
"This is a real tragedy," Wieland said, "but realistically, people should not panic. It's a lot easier to catch influenza than meningitis."
