Two students at Centre Wellington District High School were recently diagnosed with viral meningitis, according to a public health official on June 21.
Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health spokesman Chuck Ferguson confirmed the two cases are not a public health risk.
“If it was bacterial meningitis then public health would have had to do contact tracing and make sure it’s not spreading and that sort of thing,” he said. “But it’s viral.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), viral meningitis “is the most common type of meningitis; an inflammation of the tissue that covers the brain and spinal cord.
“It is often less severe than bacterial meningitis, and most people get better on their own (without treatment).”
Bacterial meningitis, on the other hand, “is very serious and can be deadly,” states the CDC website.
“Death can occur in as little as a few hours.
Most people recover from meningitis but “permanent disabilities (such as brain damage, hearing loss, and learning disabilities) can result from the infection,” states the CDC.
Ferguson said all cases of meningitis are reported to public health, regardless of the type, including the high school cases.
“We’re aware of it, but since it’s viral it’s not a danger to the public like bacterial meningitis would be,” he said.
