Boy dies from meningitis

SOUTH BEND – Authorities say a 12-year-old South Bend boy has died from bacterial meningitis.

The St. Joseph County coroner’s office says the sixth-grader at Dickinson Intermediate Fine Arts Academy died Thursday.

South Bend Community Schools said Friday it was working with the health officials to ensure the safety of other students at the school.

Meningitis is an infection of the fluid that surrounds the spinal cord and brain. It can be caused by a virus or bacteria, and bacterial meningitis is more dangerous.

County Health Department epidemiologist Kelly Jolliff said those who were in close contact with the boy have been given preventive medication or referred to their own doctors.