Possible bacterial meningitis case diagnosed in Waterloo area

A presumed case of bacterial meningitis is under investigation in northeast Iowa. Tom O’Rourke, Black Hawk County’s health director, says the patient is a man in his 60s living in the Waterloo area who was diagnosed at a local hospital. O’Rourke says he’s not concerned about an outbreak and there’s no reason to believe there are other cases out there, though he says he is concerned about the individual involved. He says his staff has talked with family members and others who have been in contact with the man. Some are being treated with preventive medicine. He says the purpose was to give people the information the disease is out there and to reassure them the disease is “not running rampant.” Signs of the potentially fatal disease include: cold or flu-like symptoms, fever, headache and nausea. They may come on very quickly and be joined by a stiff neck. It’s the first suspected case of bacterial meningitis in Black Hawk County this year.