ashley

    A 17-year old senior at West Stokes High School who found out this week that she had meningitis died from the disease Thursday night.
     Geneva Dockery, the principal of West Stokes, announced Ashley McCarty's death over the intercom yesterday at the end of first period.
     "She was a very outgoing young lady, always laughing, cheerful, had lots of friends," Dockery said. "I'd seen her in the hall and always complimented her on her latest outfit or whatever she was wearing because she was always in trendy clothes, the latest styles. Such a pretty girl and an instant smile that just made you like her."
     About 10 guidance counselors met with students yesterday. McCarty'sdeath came as a shock to students and faculty, she said.
     McCarty had been out of school since Nov. 8 and in Forsyth Medical Center since Tuesday. She was told Thursday that she had meningitis.
     Dockery said that some students thought McCarty would make a full recovery and had asked Dockery when she thought the girl would return to school. The news of her death was especially hard for those who were her closest friends.
     "I basically said to them that we do not know why things happen the way they do," Dockery said. "The bottom line is that we have another day that Ashley does not. In her memory, we should be our best today. We should reach out to someone who might need help. To honor her memory, we need to be the best person we can become."
     McCarty once revealed to school administrators that she dreamed of attending college and possibly opening her own business as a therapist or cosmetologist.

    She had a type of meningitis called meningococcal disease. It is contagious and is caused by a bacteria called neisseria. Meningitis attacks the thin lining over the brain and spinal cord. Symptoms include high fever, severe headache and stiff neck.
     School officials warned those who had come into contact with McCarty to contact county health officials.
    So far, no other cases have been reported, said Colleen Bridger, the Stokes County Health Department director.
     Health-department officials and doctors have given antibiotics to about 50 people who may have come in contact with McCarty. Health officials were mainly concerned about students from both West Stokes and South Stokes high schools who went to a party with McCarty last weekend.
     Many parents are worried that the school may be infected or that children may be at risk because they shared classrooms with McCarty. The bacteria is spread only through close contact with an infected individual, Bridger said. This includes kissing, sharing a drink, sharing food or sharing eating utensils.
     This is the first case of meningitis in Stokes County since 1998. There were 59 cases statewide in 1998 and 49 in 1999.
     There were 18 deaths from meningitis in 1998 in the state and 15 deaths in 1999, said Bradford Woodard of the state center for health statistics in Raleigh.