PAXTON - A case of bacterial meningitis in Ford County serves as a reminder to Central Illinois residents that the season for the rare but potentially fatal disease isn't over.

A 12-month-old Ford County girl diagnosed with a type of bacterial meningitis called Neisseria meningitidis is responding well to treatment and has been released from the hospital, said Cathy McEwen, acting director of community nursing services for the Ford-Iroquois Public Health Department. The health department has not identified the infant.

Ford and Iroquois counties have had no other reports of bacterial meningitis, McEwen said.

McLean County Health Department has received no reports of bacterial meningitis, health department director Bob Keller said Monday. The health department has four adult cases of viral meningitis, but that's more common than bacterial meningitis and is not life-threatening, Keller said.

The Ford County case serves as a reminder that bacterial meningitis, which generally spreads among people in close contact such as college residence halls and day care centers, is more prevalent in winter and spring, Keller said.

McLean County averages one or two cases of bacterial meningitis each year, Keller said. It spreads through throat and nasal secretions so the disease happens among people who have shared food, drinking glasses and utensils, and among infants who share toys.

Throughout Illinois, each year there are about 445 cases of bacterial meningitis, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.

Bacterial meningitis is difficult to catch because a person has to come in contact with another person's throat or nasal secretions. But disease is worrisome because it causes inflammation of the membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord, progresses quickly, and is fatal in about 15 percent of cases, Keller said. Before antibiotics, about 70 percent of cases were fatal.

Symptoms of bacterial meningitis include headache, low-grade fever, listlessness, stiff neck, nausea, vomiting, increased sensitivity to light, confusion and sleepiness that last more than two days, Keller said. Doctors can prescribe an antibiotic and urge patients to reduce their fever and drink liquids, according to the health department.

Keller urged adults and children to wash their hands thoroughly and often with warm, soapy water; avoid sharing food, drinks and utensils, and clean toys that are used by infants and toddlers each day.