Second resident dies of bacterial meningitis

In a situation Tuscarawas County Health Commissioner Katie Seward calls “unusual, bizarre, weird and unexplainable,” a Tuscarawas County resident has died of bacterial meningitis less than two weeks after an Indian Valley High School student died of the same disease. The cases are not related.

“There is no reason to believe that the individuals had any contact with each other, and they lived in different parts of the county,” Seward said in a news release. “More importantly, preliminary testing indicates that they were infected with different types of bacteria that can cause meningitis.”

The Health Department has not released the name of the second victim, who died Monday.

Ryan Freeland, 14, of Port Washington, a freshman at Indian Valley High School, died Dec. 15 at Trinity Hospital Twin City in Dennison after getting sick the day before. The high school in Gnadenhutten was closed Dec. 18 while employees cleaned the facility as a precaution.

In the most recent case, close contacts of the person who died have been notified, and they are being urged to seek medical care if they exhibit signs or symptoms of meningitis, Seward said.

According to the county health department, several types of bacteria can cause meningitis, although most people don’t get sick from them. However, some people are more susceptible to meningitis, including babies and people with compromised immune systems.

People who experience symptoms of meningitis, including fever, chills, headache, stiff neck/back, nausea and/or vomiting should seek medical attention immediately. The health department notes that there are age-appropriate vaccines, including vaccines for meningitis and pneumonia.

In 2016 in Ohio, there were 134 cases of bacterial meningitis. Seven of them resulted in death.