The Alabama Department of Public Health says it has received a report of Neisseria meningitidis, or meningococcus, at Scottsboro Junior High School.
The health department says children at the school could have been exposed to the reported case, and they suggest for parents to make sure students are up-to-date on school vaccines and their meningococcal vaccine.
Experts say meningococcus is a highly contagious disease spread to others by contact with respiratory or throat secretions, including saliva and spit.
Symptoms include a fever, headache, stiff neck, confusion and sometimes a rash. If someone has these symptoms, they need to be evaluated immediately by a physician or at an emergency room.
Additional details are unknown at this time.
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