Updated 01/12/2009 12:53 PM
Student's Death Believed To Be Result Of Meningitis
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Officials at Stuyvesant High School suspect meningitis may have killed a student from Queens.
Ava Hecht, 17, fell unconscious in her Bayside home Thursday and was rushed to the hospital, where she died.
In a letter on the school's website, Stuyvesant's principal said while tests have not confirmed the exact cause of death, the symptoms suggest bacterial meningitis.
The symptoms of the disease include fever, chills, stiff neck, headache, rash, nausea or vomiting.
He also said only people who had close contact with the student could be at risk for the disease and that the school is working with the Health Department to identify those individuals, who may need preventative antibiotics.
People who only had casual contact are not at risk.