VANCOUVER -- A Clark County teen died Sunday from meningococcal disease. Health officers are not disclosing the victim’s age or gender.

“We can say the person who died was not currently a student in Clark County,” said Clark County Health Officer Dr. Alan Melnick.

The teen was treated at a Vancouver hospital before being transferred to a hospital in Portland.

The victim died in Porltand early Sunday morning.

Meningococcal disease can be contagious to people who are in close contact with patients. In this case, Clark County’s Health Department does not think the teen exposed anyone else to the disease. The County gave antibiotics to those who had close contact with the victim.

While Dr. Melnick said deadly meningococcal cases are very rare, the disease can progress very quickly in some patients. That was the case this past weekend.

"This victim felt quite well Saturday morning. At first, they were only suffering from a headache," said Melnick.

Clark County has dealt with three meningococcal cases in 2007. This is the first deadly case.

One Oregonian has died from meningococcal disease in 2007.

According to statistics from the Oregon Department of Human Services, more than 90 percent of menigococcal patients recover from the disease with antibiotic therapy.

State of Oregon's menigococcal disease fact sheet

Oregon health officials claim the state has seen a dramatic drop in menigococcal cases so far in 2007.