BEND, Ore. -- Central Oregon health officials are investigating the possibility of a connection among three deaths in two weeks from meningitis, the latest one an infant.
The Bend Bulletin reports if they're from the same strain of bacteria, Central Oregon could be experiencing a small outbreak of meningitis.
A fourth person, a 24-year-old Bend man, was diagnosed with meningitis and is in critical condition at a Bend hospital. The bacterium is not highly contagious, and only those in close physical contact are at risk.
State officials are testing patient samples to see if the illnesses were caused by the same strain.
Dr. Paul Cieslak of the state's communicable disease program says the state is not treating the episode as an outbreak and says the cases may be "a chance clustering."
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