Preliminary autopsy results indicate 11-year-old Jocie Clark of Mead Valley died of a viral inflammation of the coverings of the brain and spinal cord as a possible result of influenza.

No one was available from the Riverside County Coroner's office late Tuesday to elaborate on its press release.

County health officials said earlier Tuesday that they had all but ruled out the possibility that Jocie Clark contracted a bacterial infection from contaminated water at Lake Perris.

Officials at Riverside County Regional Medical Center in Moreno Valley, where Clark's younger sister, Luticia, 7, was recovering from similar symptoms, declined to comment on the cause of death.

A nursing supervisor at Loma Linda University Medical Center, who declined to give her name, said the hospital periodically sees patients with the disease -- known as viral meningoencephalitis -- and treats it as communicable.

County health officials could not be reached for comment. The disease causes swelling in the membranes covering both the brain and spinal cord.

Jocie and her family spent two days camping at the lake before the child's death Friday. But the girl's father, Oliver Clark Jr., and county health officials said Jocie and her sister did not go in the lake.

In addition, a couple of other family members reportedly had similar symptoms before the trip to Lake Perris and recovered.

"My cousin, Jasmine Clark, had the same symptoms about two weeks ago," Oliver Clark said. "Then my 9-year-old daughter, Michelle, came down with symptoms.

"We took her to the doctor and they gave her some suppositories and pain medicine and she got better about five hours later."

Added Barbara Cole, director for disease control for the Riverside County Department of Public Health, "At this point, we feel the lake is not implicated in this illness."

Cole said the county will continue to monitor the lake for bacteria levels.

As for the dead child's illness, Cole added, "We don't really see a widespread outbreak. It does appear to be in the family unit. We're just monitoring it. No family members are quarantined."

"We're checking things like whether they had the same diet provider," she said. "We're still pulling together the facts and getting as much information together as we can."

Cole said health officials also are waiting for some lab results.

"Meningitis is both viral and bacterial," she said earlier. "The viral type tends to be more mild. Most people recover.

"With bacterial meningitis, antibiotics are given. When they're treated quickly, most people do well."

Nevertheless, Cole said parents should be on guard for acute symptoms of headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and drowsiness in their children.

"If their child appears ill and has symptoms, they should call their medical provider," she said.

Cole said her office has asked the Val Verde Unified School District, where Jocie attended school, to monitor student illnesses carefully and let her know if any children report such symptoms.

"Obviously parents are going to be concerned," she said.

Published 9/23/1998