A BOY from Colne has been diagnosed with meningococcal meningitis and is being treated in the intensive care unit of Burnley General Hospital.

The boy, of primary school age, was admitted to hospital yesterday and was the second child in East Lancashire to be diagnosed with the disease in a week.

Dr Mira Biswas, East Lancashire Health Authority spokeswoman, confirmed the two cases but said they were unrelated. She said there was a case last week, of suspected bacterial meningitis, but the child had fully recovered and was now back at home.

Dr Biswas said parents with children at the school were the second child is a pupil would be receiving a letter informing them about the disease and the signs and symptoms to look out for.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.