CLARKSBURG, W.Va. — One confirmed case of viral meningitis in Harrison County has school officials taking extra precaution in keeping students safe.
Superintendent Mark Manchin said a student at Nutter Fort Primary is hospitalized with a confirmed case of viral meningitis, and a second student at Washington Irving Middle School may have the virus as well.
“Basically what we’re dealing with is one confirmed case. There may be a second suspected case, though we have not been able to confirm it,” Manchin said. “When I say we, that is our health professionals, our nurse, our head nurse and our medical advisor, as well as the department of health here in Harrison County.”
Manchin said the Harrison-Clarksburg Health Department has been providing direction to proper protocol.
“Right now we are continuing to monitor the issues,” he said. “A number of students are absent today, which we understand, and hopefully we can get this thing addressed.”
The case is a viral strain of meningitis, rather than bacterial meningitis as originally suspected, which can be more severe.
“Obviously that’s the first thing that we looked at, and certainly we would be reacting a little different,” Manchin said. “But we’re not diminishing this, we still have to be cautious in the way we deal with it, particularly with small children.
“We following the protocol that has been given to us by the department of health, and we will continue to follow the protocol until we’ve been directed otherwise,” he said.
Both schools were thoroughly cleaned Thursday night to protect other students from the virus.
“In fact, we sent a couple custodians to Nutter Fort and also to Washington Irving Middle School to do some extra cleaning, some environmental cleanup,” Manchin said. “This strain of virus will be eradictated, and hopefully that will address this issue and our children will be safe and healthy.”
Manchin said material will be sent home to parents on precautions to take, as well as general information about the virus.
“What we do is, obviously provide an education, but we also want to make sure that people have information,” he said. “We’re dealing with other people’s children, and we take that very seriously.”