Meningitis Reported at Capitol Hill School

(Updated at 5:35 p.m.) A case of viral meningitis has been reported at a C Street NE elementary school, NBC Washington reports.

Parents at the Peabody Primary Campus of the Capitol Hill Cluster School received a letter from the D.C. Department of Health on Monday informing them that someone in the school community had recently been diagnosed with the infection.

Viral meningitis inflames the tissues around the brain and spinal cord. It differs from bacterial meningitis, which can be life-threatening, but the two share symptoms including fever, a stiff neck and nausea, the Health Department told parents.

The letter did not specify whether the infected person at the 425 C St. NE school was a student, teacher or faculty member.

Custodians performed a “deep-dive cleaning” on the preschool Monday, a Health Department spokeswoman told The Washington Post. The school remained open during the disinfection.

School families were instructed to call their doctors or the school nurse with any questions.