School Officials Suspect Meningitis Death
17-year-old student dies
Sunday, Jan 11, 2009 | Updated 12:08 PM EDT
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School officials fear a New York City student may have died from meningitis.
School officials suspect a Stuyvesant High School senior who died last week may have succumbed to bacterial meningitis.
The 17-year-old student, Ava Hecht, of Bayside, was found unconscious on Thursday and rushed to the hospital where she was pronounced dead.
In a letter posted on the school's web site, Principal Stanley Teitel says that while tests have not yet confirmed the exact cause of death, symptoms suggests an infection caused bacterial meningitis.
He said the school has been working with the Health Department to identify all individuals who had close contact with the student.
Symptoms include fever, chills, stiff neck, headache, rash and nausea or vomiting.
Copyright Associated Press
