Between 10 percent and 15 percent of victims die. But it is actually not a disease in itself, said Randy Hertzer, spokesman for the Ohio Department of Health. One meningococcal virus does cause meningitis. But the sufferers in Ohio have a bloodborne bacterial variant that causes a kind of toxic shock. You have a very high fever and stiff neck.
Some people show a rash on the trunk of the body, disorientation and severe headaches.
Today, health officials hope to determine if the third victim suffered from the same meningococcal strain as the first two victims. Vaccinations, which have become more popular for children in recent years, prevent the disease for as long as five years, Hertzer said. However, Colaianni said vaccines don't appear to do much to help people who have already been infected. In fact, it may take 7-10 days for a vaccination to begin protecting someone, she said. Earlier this year, two students at a high school in Folsom, Calif., died of a bloodborne meningococcal strain.