Stanislaus County health officials are investigating whether a deadly form of bacterial meningitis took the life of a 9-year-old Modesto girl.

The girl was a fourth- grader at Rose Avenue School. School officials said she suddenly became ill Monday night and was taken to an area hospital, where she was diagnosed with meningococcal meningitis.

An autopsy by the county coroner's office will determine if the girl died from the contagious disease.

"We are treating it as a case of meningococcal meningitis," said Rosalyn Cunningham, a contagious disease specialist with the Stanislaus County Public Health Services Agency.

The coroner did not release the name of the girl. District officials said her mother was a yard supervisor at the school.

"This has been very hard for the staff, because a child has died and they're close to the mother," said Pat Logan, supervisor of pupil services for Modesto City Schools.

Rose Avenue School administrators sent home a letter Tuesday, advising parents of students who may have come in close contact with the girl to look for symptoms and seek medical attention if necessary.

Fourth-graders from several schools, including Rose Avenue, were scheduled to attend a performance at Downey High School today, but that event was canceled to minimize potential exposure to other children.

Meningococcal meningitis is an inflammation of the meninges, the membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord.

The bacteria is spread through coughing, sneezing and prolonged contact with an infected person.

The illness can include several flulike symptoms, including sudden onset of fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, stiff neck and a rash. It's fast acting and can turn deadly within hours.

"The bacteria gets in the blood and multiplies so fast," Cunningham said. "It can take you in a few hours."

Since January, Stanislaus County has recorded four cases of meningococcal meningitis, Cunningham said. By this time last year, there were eight cases.

A total of 18 cases were diagnosed in 1998, compared with 19 in 1997 and 20 in 1996.

Reprinted by permission of Modesto Bee.