Houston Reports 2 More Meningitis Cases

Two more cases of spinal meningitis have been confirmed in suburban Houston, bringing to at least 18 the number of cases in the area since Oct. 9, health officials said Monday. Two people have died of the disease this month.

The meningitis outbreak has added to concerns raised late last year about Houston’s potential for epidemic as the city with the lowest vaccination rate in the nation. Officials say the city is already vulnerable to disease because of its role as a major port and airline hub.

Meningitis is a bacterial illness that attacks the brain and spinal cord. Symptoms include the sudden onset of fever, intense headache, stiff neck and nausea.

On Thursday, the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared a meningitis outbreak in Montgomery County, just north of Houston, where 11 cases have been reported. The two cases reported during the weekend were in Fort Bend County, in southwest Houston.

In one, an eighth-grader was taken to a hospital with symptoms of the disease. A 13-year-old boy and a 56-year-old woman have died of the disease in the last two weeks.