School officials received a notification from the Harris County Health Department (HCHD) the morning of April 22 that one of its students had contracted meningitis over the weekend.

According to Salem spokeswoman Bambi Kelly, the school nurse sent out an e-mail to the principal, Mary Beth Gaertner, at 10:45 a.m. alerting her of the situation. Gaertner then notified teachers and administrators.

Upon a previously scheduled early dismissal, students were sent home with a notification of the meningitis alert to give to their parents, as well as with a three-page meningitis fact sheet.

The Harris County Health Department (HCHD) told Salem administrators that the test results to determine if the meningitis was viral or bacterial possibly would not be completed until the following day. However, by 3:15 p.m. that day the HCHD reported that all tests on the student had found only a viral infection.

Gaertner said the school followed proper procedures as mandated by the Harris County Health Department.

“We do whatever is mandated by HCHD, so they are our guide,” Gaertner said. “We needed to take (no precautions) other than to inform the parents, which we did not have to do. But it was important to let them know so they would be ready in case symptoms did occur.”

Gaertner said the final diagnosis by the HCHD stated, “no special precautions or treatments were required.”

“So, we’re good,” she added. “But we did inform our families as soon as we knew that there was a diagnosis. When parents understand, it’s so much easier to handle. That word ‘meningitis’ is frightening. And it’s frightening to us, as well.”

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