The state epidemiologist who confirmed that a 2 1/2-year-old Cutler boy died of meningitis several days ago said Wednesday that other cases of the disease may crop up.

Dr. Kathleen Gensheimer of the Bureau of Health in Augusta, said that subsequent cases wouldn’t necessarily be related to this most recent case, and that there would be no way to relate other cases to that of little William Joseph Bricker Jr. anyway, since “no clinical material” had been obtained from the child.

Gensheimer explained that 12 to 20 cases per year occur in Maine, mostly in the winter.

Symptoms that need to be checked out by a physician include a sudden onset of fever, stiff neck or headache and an unusual rash with a high fever, according to a letter from the Bureau of Health to parents of children at the Machias Valley Head Start program in East Machias, which is attended by the 4-year-old sister of the boy.

Betty Reynolds, director at the Head Start center, said that a pediatrician had visited to explain to parents what Neisseria meningitidus is and what symptoms to look for. Bricker was infected with the Neisseria meningitidus bacterium.

Gensheimer said that all necessary individuals had been contacted based on information from the family.

“We were not looking for the casual visitor,” she added, “only for people who had lived (with the family) for a long period of time.”