The Florida Department of Health in Gulf County is working with health care providers and school officials to address and investigate this school situation.

We will have more information to follow.

The following some steps can help lower your chances of becoming infected with or spreading viral meningitis:

• Wash your hands thoroughly and often, especially after changing diapers, using the toilet, or coughing or blowing your nose;
• Clean highly-touched surfaces, such as doorknobs or the TV remote control, with soap and water and then disinfect them with a dilute solution of chlorine-containing bleach;
• Avoid sharing items such as a drinking glass, water bottles, mouth guards, eating utensils, lipstick, or other such items that come into contact with saliva; and
• Make sure you and your child are vaccinated. Vaccinations included in the childhood vaccination schedule can protect children against some diseases that can lead to viral meningitis. These include vaccines against measles and mumps (MMR vaccine) and chickenpox (varicella-zoster vaccine).