Okay schools closed Monday after faculty member contracts viral meningitis
BY RHETT MORGAN World Staff Writer
Monday, February 04, 2013
2/04/13 at 2:57 PM
OKAY – A faculty member who contracted viral meningitis led to the closing of Okay Public Schools on Monday, Interim Superintendent David Harlow said.
Classes are expected to resume Tuesday, Harlow said.
Workers disinfected buildings Monday at the Wagoner County school, which features an enrollment of about 500 pre-kindergarten through 12th grade students, Harlow said. The district could reopen Tuesday, he said. Okay is about 50 miles southeast of Tulsa.
Viral meningistis is an infection of the meninges (the covering of the brain and spinal cord) that is caused by a virus, according to a website for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Viral meningitis can affect babies, children and adults, though it is usually less several than bacterial meningitis and normally clears up without special treatment, the website states.
Enteroviruses, the most common cause of viral meningitis, are most often spread from person to person through fecal contamination, which can occur when changing a diaper or using the toilet and not properly washing hands afterward, according to CDC. Enteroviruses also can be spread through respiratory secretions (salive, sputum or nasal mucus) of an infected person.
There is no specific treatment for viral meningitis, for which antibiotics are not useful.
Most patients completely recover on their own within seven to 10 days and most people with normal immune systems recover completely.
