GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – Two more students were diagnosed with viral meningitis at the same school building where a Green Bay kindergartener died last week.
Trinity Lutheran Elementary School student Jack Natzke died last Tuesday from the disease.
The building and floor are shared with Our Savior Lutheran preschool, where officials confirm that 2 other students were diagnosed last week.
After the 5-year-old Natzke died, classes were canceled for the rest of the week and the building was professionally cleaned.
“The child at Trinity school, as soon as that came up, of course the preschool was notified right away,” Mike Charles, a church board of education member for the preschool, told FOX 11.
Parents of both the elementary and preschool were asked to be on the lookout for any signs of the illness.
“Last week there were parents that notified the preschool staff that their children seemed to have symptoms, and therefore, they were brought in and diagnosed with mild cases,” said Charles.
The two children affected by viral meningitis returned to the preschool on Monday as classes resumed.
Viral meningitis is generally less severe than bacterial meningitis. People usually recover from the viral form of the disease on their own.
Immunization for bacterial meningitis usually start at around age 11. Viral meningitis cases do not have to be reported to the state, unlike mandatory reporting for bacterial meningitis.
According to the state Department of Health Services, 36 cases were reported in 2014 and 23 since the start of 2015.
