The State : Alert Issued on Meningitis

Health officials warned Santa Clara County residents about an outbreak of a deadly form of meningitis that has stricken at least 13 people and killed four this year. Five confirmed cases of meningococcal meningitis were reported to the Health Department this week, said Dr. Martin D. Fenstersheib, director of communicable disease control for the county. The disease, which can kill a person within a matter of hours, is a bacterial infection that leads to meningitis and inflames membranes of the brain and spinal cord. Its symptoms often resemble a case of the flu but, if untreated, the patient may progress to delirium, coma and death, officials said. It is spread through direct human contact, usually through discharge from the nose and throat.