A Cary-Grove High School student has a confirmed case of bacterial meningitis.
The McHenry County Health Department notified the high school district. The department is now contacting people who might have been in close contact with the student and referring them to their primary physician for treatment as a precautionary measure.
District 155 saysthey will remain in communication and work closely with the county health department.
Bacterial meningitis is spread through the exchange of respiratory and throat secretions, but it is not as contagious as germs that cause the common cold or the flu.
Meningitis bacteria are not spread by casual contact or by breathing the air where a person with the disease has been. The illness can cause brain damage, hearing loss or learning disabilities.
Meningococcal vaccines can help protect against the disease. The Centers for Disease Control recommends vaccinating individuals ages 11 to 18.
About 4,100 cases of bacterial meningitis are reported each year and 500 of them result in death, according to numbers collected by the CDCfrom 2003 to 2007.