MENINGITIS CLAIMS LIFE OF DEXTER TEEN

DEXTER -- A strain of bacterial meningitis which caused the death of a Dexter High School student is "not very contagious," a state health official said.

Troy William "Billy" Boone, 15, a freshman, died Thursday at a Cape Girardeau hospital of meningitis caused by strep pneumoniae.

"As a matter of fact, I don't suppose I've ever heard of a second person coming down with this strain after the first infection," said Sue Tippen, communicable disease coordinator for the Missouri Department of Health at Poplar Bluff.

She also pointed out that symptoms usually develop within three to five days of exposure for the strain that killed Boone, so anyone infected would have taken ill by now.

Dr. Jerry Waddle, superintendent of Dexter Public Schools, said parents were notified of Boone's death and given extensive information about the nature of the illness.

"Folks need to know about this, not only from an information standpoint, but also to keep folks from panicking, they need accurate information," Waddle said.

Stoddard County Health Department officials told Dexter school administrators they do not need to take further precautions.

Students were on spring break when Boone's illness occurred.

Meningitis is an inflammation of the membrane enclosing the brain and spinal cord.

Tippen said health workers do not know how Boone became infected.

"Probably we'll never know," she said. "He may have had the organism in his body and it just developed into meningitis."

Infection by several organisms, including bacteria, viruses and some yeasts and fungi, can cause meningitis, Tippen said.

Bacterial meningitis is usually the most serious, requiring intensive treatment, and is not as common as viral or aseptic meningitis, she said.

In 1995, nine cases of Hib meningitis, caused by Haemophilus influenza Type b, were confirmed in Southeast Missouri. Michael Sweet, 13, of Cape Girardeau died after contracting Hib meningitis last year.

Young children can be immunized against Hib meningitis, the strain they are most likely to be infected by, said Vicky McDowell, communicable disease coordinator for the Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center. Immunization is required for children attending day care.

Meningococcal meningitis was confirmed in 67 cases in Southeast Missouri last year.

"If we went out in public and just did a screening, we would find a lot of people have the meningococcal bacteria in their nasal passages, but they're not ill," McDowell said. "It's in our nasal passages, and if for some reason the immune system breaks down, the individual becomes ill."

Aseptic and viral meningitis are the most common forms of meningitis, and many viral types do not have to be reported, Tippen said. In 1995, 252 cases were confirmed in Southeast Missouri.

Treatment for meningitis includes antibiotics. When people are infected with the more contagious strains, health workers contact the people with whom the infected individuals came in contact to check for symptoms.

Symptoms include fever, severe headache, lethargy, vomiting, skin rash and neck stiffness.