The New York Times-20080126-No Apparent Link Between Two Fatal Cases of Meningitis- Health Officials Say

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No Apparent Link Between Two Fatal Cases of Meningitis, Health Officials Say

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a Queens woman and a Long Island teenager -- have died of bacterial meningitis in the past two days.

Health officials say the deaths -- a day apart at schools that are a 30-minute drive from each other -- are probably a coincidence, with no link between the two cases.

Michael Gruber, 17, a senior at Massapequa High School, went to bed with flulike symptoms after taking a state Regents exam on Wednesday and woke up the next morning feeling very ill. He was taken to the hospital and died Thursday afternoon.

LeeAnne Burke, 27, of Bellerose, Queens, a guidance counselor at St. Francis Preparatory High School in Queens, died on Friday.

Friday night, friends and relatives of Michael visited his parents' house in Massapequa to pay respects.

Michael's uncle, Robert Sacco, said that the teenager had planned to become a lawyer, adding, He was just a really good boy and he had a lot of positive energy.

At St. Francis Prep, word of Ms. Burke's death hit the school hard.

One of my teachers was crying in class, said William Newsome, 17, a senior, who like other students, said that school officials announced on Wednesday that Ms. Burke had contracted meningitis. Several students said they learned Friday morning from teachers that she had died.

Public health officials have begun locating -- and giving antibiotics to -- friends, relatives and people from the schools who had come into close contact with the two victims.

An estimated 3,000 to 4,000 cases of meningococcal meningitis are diagnosed in the United States each year, with about 1 in 10 proving fatal, according to the Web site of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Dr. Don Weiss, director of surveillance for the New York City Department of Health's bureau of communicable disease, said there are, on average, some 40 cases a year of different types of meningitis.

The Health Department sent a doctor to the high school to confer with school officials and educate them on the disease, and, as is policy, to find closest contacts and give them antibiotics.

We have to recognize that this is a scary disease for people, but you have to put into perspective how rare it is, Dr. Weiss said. It's a freak situation when it gets communicated.

Dr. Abby Greenberg, acting commissioner for Nassau County's Department of Health, said: All those individuals who were in close contact with the Massapequa High School student and who shared food, drink or were exposed to secretions from the nose or mouth have obtained preventative antibiotic treatment.All others who attend the high school, work at the supermarket or play in the same basketball league are not in need of antibiotic treatment.

Massapequa High School officials have been notifying Michael's classmates and teachers, as well as other people who might have come into direct contact with him. Charles Sulc, the acting superintendent of the Massapequa School District, said in a statement, As a precautionary measure, custodial and maintenance staff have cleaned and sanitized the high school and other district facilities the student may have frequented.

He said that academic tests including midterms, the Regents exams and the Advance Placement exams were being given Friday, and that our crisis intervention team has been deployed, and grief counseling services will be provided to all students and staff as requested.

St. Francis Prep's Web site posted wake and funeral information for Ms. Burke with the message: Please pray for the repose of the soul of Ms. LeeAnne Burke of the Guidance Department.

A woman who answered the door at Ms. Burke's home on Friday confirmed that Ms. Burke had died but declined to comment.

Students at St. Francis Prep reacted to the news with shock and sadness. The school sent a letter to parents urging them to stay calm but also to watch for symptoms like fever, chills, a stiff neck, nausea and vomiting. Classes for next Tuesday have been canceled so people can attend Ms. Burke's funeral, the letter said.

Messages left for the school principal on Friday were not returned. The school dismissed the students an hour early. William Newsome, of Hollis, Queens, was picked up by his mother, Barbara Newsome, and taken to a hastily arranged visit to the doctor for a checkup.

I'm not too nervous, but I want to be informed, she said.

Joanna Russo, 17, a senior from Flushing, said she had heard of Ms. Burke's death on Friday morning from teachers who had gathered in the hallways to discuss it.

Everyone has a sense of worry that it can happen to them, she said. I told my mother, and she was worried. She said, 'Should we be concerned?' and I said, 'I don't know.'

Health officials say no, because the disease is not spread through casual contact.

The most common form of bacterial meningitis is usually transmitted through respiratory droplets. The infection attacks and inflames the outer membranes, or meninges, of the brain and spinal cord.

The majority of people never show signs of illness if they're exposed, said Dr. Stephen S. Morse, an associate professor of clinical epidemiology at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health. But if those who are sick are not treated, the outlook, unfortunately, is poor.

[Illustration]PHOTOS: Michael Gruber, 17, of Massapequa High School, and LeeAnne Burke, 27, of St. Francis Prep, died a day apart.