Morgan County illness was encephalitis

Morgan County R-II School District officials said Tuesday that a case of suspected meningitis turned out to be viral encephalitis.

The school district sent a follow up letter to parents Tuesday after saying in a letter last week that it was working with county health officials to investigate a possible meningitis case in a middle school student.

The district said it was particularly concerned about students on the middle school football team, those who are religiously exempt from inoculations or those who have recently been diagnosed with strep and still have symptoms after taking antibiotics.

Superintendent Joyce Ryerson wrote in the letter dated Tuesday that the encephalitis case is isolated. But she encouraged parents to talk to students about good hygiene to avoid spreading illnesses.