Muskegon prison officer dies of meningitis

MUSKEGON, Mich. (WOOD) – A correctional officer working in a Muskegon prison has died of bacterial meningitis, the Michigan Department of Corrections said. An inmate was also diagnosed.

The officer was working Earnest C. Brooks Correctional FacilityChris Gautz, spokesman for the MDOC, confirmed Wednesday afternoon at 24 hours.

Gautz stated that the disease had started as an aggressive strain of streptococcus and had turned into meningitis.

The prisoner with meningitis is recovering at the prison hospital and it is expected that everything will be fine, Gautz said during a phone interview.

Bacterial meningitis is contagious. We do not know who had the disease first. Tests to confirm if cases are linked should be returned in four to six weeks. State health officials and disease control and prevention centers are involved.

The MDOC held a public meeting Wednesday for staff members.

The officer's name was not revealed, but Gautz said he was a 20-year-old MDOC veteran.