Liberty County Coroner Regional Pierce is trying to squelch rumors that a child died from meningitis here last week.
He did not say the disease that causes inflammation around the brain and spinal cord was not the cause, but added that no cause had been determined as of Tuesday.
"We've been getting a lot of calls about it," the coroner said. "People are saying they've been told it was meningitis. Even the people at the hospital where she was treated wanted to know."
The girl was reported to be 6 years old.
Pierce, who called the Courier with the story because of concerns how far the rumors had gone, said an autopsy will have to be completed to determine the cause of death. He was unsure how long one would take, saying it will have to be a thorough exam.
"There was nothing there medically that jumped out at us as to what caused her death," the coroner said. "So this is going to take tissue samples and a bunch of things."
Meningitis is contagious and, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, can be caused by viral or bacterial infection.
He did not say the disease that causes inflammation around the brain and spinal cord was not the cause, but added that no cause had been determined as of Tuesday.
"We've been getting a lot of calls about it," the coroner said. "People are saying they've been told it was meningitis. Even the people at the hospital where she was treated wanted to know."
The girl was reported to be 6 years old.
Pierce, who called the Courier with the story because of concerns how far the rumors had gone, said an autopsy will have to be completed to determine the cause of death. He was unsure how long one would take, saying it will have to be a thorough exam.
"There was nothing there medically that jumped out at us as to what caused her death," the coroner said. "So this is going to take tissue samples and a bunch of things."
Meningitis is contagious and, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, can be caused by viral or bacterial infection.