A second metro-area youth has died from bacterial meningitis.
Jefferson County spokeswoman Lynn Setzer said Friday that a senior at Dakota Ridge High School died Thursday morning from the infection.
A Metropolitan State College of Denver student died from bacterial meningitis on April 8.
Jefferson County schools sent a letter home to parents in the Dakota Ridge community Thursday informing them of the death. The letter included information on meningitis and measures parents can take as precautions. The student’s name was not released.
Initial symptoms of bacterial meningitis may mimic a common cold or flu, such as headache, sore throat, fever, stiff neck and body aches, said Dr. Paul Schadler, medical director of the health center at the Auraria campus, but the disease progresses quickly.
Meningitis can be spread through coughing, kissing, sneezing or sharing a cigarette or drinking glass, but it’s not as contagious as the common cold or the flu, health officials said. The incubation period for the disease is typically about 14 days.
The bacteria is not spread by casual contact, such as breathing the air in close proximity to someone who is infected.
Kieran Nicholson: 303-954-1822 or knicholson@denverpost.com
