An 8-year-old Mantua boy died yesterday of bacterial meningitis at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
Khyon Tyler, who attended Morton McMichael Elementary School, was admitted to the emergency room Monday in critical condition and died at 1 p.m. yesterday, a hospital spokeswoman said.
The school will be closed today ``not because of disease prevention, but out of sympathy for the family,'' said Robert Levinson, director of the city Health Department's Division of Disease Control.
Officials of the Health Department were at the school yesterday to explain meningitis to parents, Levinson said.
``Meningitis typically comes out of the blue, strikes a perfectly healthy person, and they die,'' he said.
He said the Health Department did not recommend treatment for other students. ``In a school setting, there usually are no secondary cases. . . . The risks are extremely small,'' he said.
The disease is contagious, but is spread only through close contact, such as kissing or sharing cups and eating utensils, he said.
``The people really at risk are the family members,'' Levinson said. ``There are no guarantees, but in my 25 years with the department, I've never seen a secondary case in a school setting.''
The symptoms include the sudden onset of high fever, an intense headache, a stiff neck, nausea often accompanied by vomiting, and a rash. Often, these symptoms mimic the early stages of the flu.
