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A seventh-grade student who attended Capitol Heights' Walker Mill Middle School died from bacterial meningitis Friday at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C.

Principal Gorman Brown said the student was a 14-year-old girl from Capitol Heights but has not released the girl's name. Brown said her family is not ready to speak to the media at this time.

Brown said he was assured by Sue Smyth, the county's program chief for communicable and vector-borne disease control, that the form of bacterial meningitis the student had was not a virulent or highly infectious strain.

"The illness itself is not contagious, and none of the staff or students at Walker Mill are in danger of contracting the illness," Brown said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site, meningitis comes in two forms — bacterial and viral — and is an infection inflaming the meninges, which covers the spinal cord and the brain. Bacterial meningitis can be spread through kissing or coughing, but the bacteria are not as contagious as those linked to the common cold. Viral meningitis is less contagious and can be spread through mucus or saliva but people who come in contact are more likely to catch a cold from the virus rather than full blown meningitis.

Smyth said she did not have details on how long the child had been sick or how she picked up the bacteria but said the illness can be treated with antibiotics. Smyth said it is unlikely the girl had received a meningitis shot and even if she had, the immunization would not have covered the bacterial strain she had.

"Based on the individual, some people rapidly progress to meningitis, some people have a slower onset of symptoms," Smyth said. "They may be sick for a while and then all of a sudden have more serious symptoms."

Brown said he received an anonymous tip Friday from a bus lot foreman who heard a Walker Mill Middle School student had died. Brown asked for the student's name and visited the girl's home Friday, where family informed him of her death. Brown made crisis counseling staff available Monday to comfort students who were distraught at the news.

"We've wrapped arms around our students and around our school community," Brown said.

Brown sent a recorded phone message to all parents Monday evening and a double-sided letter home with students Tuesday that included the print version of the phone message and the letter from the county's health department informing parents of the cause of death.

The county Health Department letter sent by county Health Officer Donald Shell said "due to the bacteria that was identified in the student there is no preventive treatment recommended for any students or staff." The letter also listed the symptoms of meningitis — such as severe headaches, nausea, back, neck and shoulder pain and skin rashes — and asked parents to go to a doctor immediately if their child begins to exhibit symptoms.

E-mail Natalie McGill at nmcgill@gazette.net.