Schoolboy, 11, dies of meningitis in Florida as parents are told to watch for symptoms in children
A Florida schoolboy has died after developing meningitis, local health officials have confirmed.
The 11-year-old boy, who has not been named, suffered from an infection before he was diagnosed: inflammation of the brain or spinal cord.
He had been attending school in Oak Hill, near Orlando, before the disease was spotted – and 44 parents have now been told to watch their children for symptoms.
Officials at Burns Science and Technology Charter School, where he studied, say the boy’s death “has shocked us to our core.”
Meningitis is an infection of the protective membranes around the brain and spinal cord and can cause people to develop fever, vomiting, cold hands and feet, and a stiff neck (stock image of an illustration of meningitis-causing bacteria)
Albert Amalfitano, chairman of the board, said: ‘We feel terrible for the family of this boy.
“We are taking all necessary precautions to protect our other students.”
It was not clear which infection the child had contracted and when the diagnosis was made.
It is estimated that approximately 150 to 300 people die from meningitis each year, and up to 3,000 infections are recorded annually.