No additional cases of meningococcal disease have been identified a few weeks after the county health department sent an alert about a suspected case at Bloomington High School South.
Meningococcal disease is a bacterial infection that can infect blood and meninges, the membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord.
In an alert to parents, the health department said the case is “under medical supervision and can no longer spread.” According to an updated statement from the department, all close contacts of the case were notified before May 14 to consult their healthcare provider for preventative antibiotics.
Contacts include those living in the same household as the infected person, those who have kissed them on the mouth and those who have items that have come into contact with the person’s saliva, such as through a water bottle or utensils.
Kids in grades six through 11 in Indiana are required to get the MCV4 meningococcal vaccine, which protects against four types of meningitis-causing bacteria.
Shandy Dearth, director of the Center for Public Health Practice at the Indiana University Fairbanks School of Public Health in Indianapolis, said it's important for young kids to get the vaccine when they're more prone to spread it in congregate settings, such as in classrooms.
“If you think about younger people, they don't always have the best hygiene habits, or they're more likely to share a cup and share utensils,” she said. “Teenagers, they might share vapes or share lipstick, those sorts of things. So, we need to really make sure that people know not to share those items, just because it introduces a heightened risk of spread that way.”
The Indiana Department of Health recommends, but does not require, that 12th graders also get two doses of the meningitis B vaccine. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, meningitis B is “relatively rare.”
“Basically, the disease is not common and the vaccine’s effectiveness decreases so quickly after vaccination, that it isn’t as effective from a public health standpoint to make it required for everyone,” Dearth said.
Indiana University requires all students to get one dose of the MCV4 vaccine on or after the student’s 16th birthday if 21 years old or younger. The website also states that although the meningitis B vaccine for students aged 23 or younger is not required by state law, it is “strongly recommended.”
