School on meningitis alert

The letter written by Dr Anne Wilson, Consultant in Health Protection with the Public Health Agency, was dated March 22 and said the pupil was doing well.

The letter said: 'A suspected case of meningococcal disease in a schools is often a cause of concern for parents of other children.

'However, we would like to reassure you that any risk to your child is extremely small. You may find it helpful to have some additional background information on the signs and symptoms of this disease and we enclose a leaflet outlining these.

'Although the disease itself is rare, the bacteria that cause it are quite common. at any time about one in ten people may carry a strain of this bacteria.

'Many of these strains do not cause illness and some may protect against it.

'After a single case in a community, special antibiotics are given to people living in the same household as the patient. Antibiotics are not advised for other people who may have had social contact with the person who has developed the disease.

'This includes children in the same school. One of the reasons for this is that widespread use of the antibiotics can reduce the numbers of the good bacteria which protect against the disease and this is one of the reasons for limiting antibiotic use to close household contacts.

'You should contact your GP immediately if anyone at home develops the symptoms or signs listed on the enclosed information from the Meningitis Research Foundation,' said Dr Wilson's letter.