KYLE, Texas (KXAN) — Health officials in Hays County say a diagnosis reported Thursday is not as serious as they first thought.

Hays CISD sent a note to parents saying a fifth grade student at Negley Elementary School in Kyle was diagnosed with bacterial meningitis, but later lab tests showed it was actually a viral case. Viral meningitis is serious but less severe than the bacterial form, which can be deadly.

Meningitis is an inflammation of the tissue that covers the brain and spinal cord. The Centers for Disease Control said most people diagnosed with viral meningitis get better on their own without treatment.

If you have close contact with a person who has viral meningitis, you may become infected with the virus that made that person sick. However, the CDC says you are not likely to develop meningitis as a complication of the illness.

Click here for more information from the CDC on viral meningitis.