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 Posted: March 09 2007 at 6:55pm |
"...Probably because they're living in close contact together and whatnot."
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Where is bacterial meningitis found?
Bacterial meningitis is found worldwide.
The bacteria often live harmlessly in a person's mouth and throat.
In rare instances, however, they can break through the body's immune defenses and travel to the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord.
There they begin to multiply quickly. Soon, the thin membrane that covers the brain and spinal cord (meninges) becomes swollen and inflamed, leading to the classic symptoms of meningitis.
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Team players have gotton it from drinking from the same
source ...sharing whatnot.
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What is bacterial meningitis?
Meningitis is an infection of the fluid in the spinal cord and the fluid that surrounds the brain. Meningitis is usually caused by an infection with a virus or a bacterium. Knowing whether meningitis is caused by a virus or a bacterium is important because of differences in the seriousness of the illness and the treatment needed.
VIRAL MENINGITIS is usually relatively mild. It clears up within a week or two without specific treatment. Viral meningitis is also called aseptic meningitis.
BACTERIAL MENINGITIS is much more serious. It can cause severe disease that can result in brain damage and even death.
What bacteria cause bacterial meningitis?
Bacterial meningitis is most commonly caused by
one of three types of bacteria:
Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib),
Neisseria meningitidis, and
Streptococcus pneumoniae.
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Posted: March 10 2007 at 1:47pm |
Meningitis warning
Batch Data Processor | Friday, Mar 9 2007 10:40 PM
Last Updated: Friday, Mar 9 2007 10:45 PM
Kern County Health Officer Dr. B. A. Jinadu sent out a warning Friday advising the public to be aware of meningitis threats.
Four adults and four children have been separately diagnosed with bacterial meningitis, Dr. Boyce Dulan, director of the disease control program, said in a press release.
"This is a reminder that infections with potentially deadly bacteria increase during the winter season," JInadu said.
Symptoms can appear between one and 10 days of exposure, with most appearing between three and four days.
Symptoms can include the sudden onset of fever, nausea and vomiting, intense headache, stiff neck and rashes.
The potential of death occurs if not treated with antibiotics soon after the symptoms appear, Dulan said.
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Posted: March 10 2007 at 1:49pm |
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Posted: March 10 2007 at 4:36pm |
Arboviral Encephalitides
What's Gone On In Kern County?
..........................................................
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WEE virus is a member of the Alphavirus genus within the family Togaviridae
WEE virus is one of a group of 6 closely related viruses
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Excerpt...
"...The altered desert environment not only supports a vector population such as C.
tarsalis, but the environment also provides the vegetative cover and food supply to
support birds that are essential hosts for WEE viruses.
A qualitative model was developed by Gordon-Smith to explain the factors that influence
the enzootic (versus epidemic) transmission of WEE viruses between its vertebrate maintenance
hosts and from these maintenance hosts to humans (Gordon-Smith, 1987).
The model was derived from comprehensive studies of WEE virus transmission in numerous
field and laboratory studies in Kern County California during an approximate 45-year period
between 1945 and 1985.
One example of the factors included in the model, factors that may be influenced by
environmental conditions, is the relationship between the ambient temperature and survival of
mosquitoes.
The longevity of mosquitoes is influenced by both ambient temperature and relative
humidity, specifically the relative humidity of the vector’s resting environment and the
atmospheric relative humidity during its feeding periods.
The favorable range of relative humidity during the season of WEE virus transmission in
Bakersfield, California is narrow, roughly 35 to 55 percent; therefore, it is logical that
Culex tarsalis prefers to reside in humid refuges such as culverts.
The relative humidity of the vector’s resting environment can be correlated with the
atmospheric relative humidities of each season of the year. Thus, the survival of
C. tarsalis will be greater during August and September, versus June and July.
Numerous other factors, perhaps 50 or more, may influence the ecology and epidemiology
of WEE (Reeves, 1967)...."
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Excerpt...
The seasonality of arboviral transmission is variable and depends on the geographic location of exposure, the specific cycles of viral transmission, and local climatic conditions. Reporting should be etiology-specific (see below;
the six diseases printed in bold are nationally reportable to CDC):
- St. Louis encephalitis virus disease
- West Nile virus disease
- Powassan virus disease
- Eastern equine encephalitis virus disease
- Western equine encephalitis virus disease
- California serogroup virus disease (includes infections with the following viruses: California encephalitis, Jamestown Canyon, Keystone, La Crosse, snowshoe hare, and trivittatus)
Note: Due to the continued risk of unintentional or intentional introduction of exotic arboviruses into the United States (e.g., Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus), or the reemergence of indigenous epidemic arboviruses (e.g., St. Louis encephalitis and western equine encephalitis viruses), physicians and local public health officials should maintain a high index of clinical suspicion for cases of potential exotic or unusual arboviral etiology, and consider early consultation with arboviral disease experts at state health departments and CDC.
 http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/arbor/arbdet.htm
Information on Arboviral Encephalitides
Perspectives
Arthropod-borne viruses, i.e., arboviruses, are viruses that are maintained in nature through biological transmission between susceptible vertebrate hosts by blood feeding arthropods (mosquitoes, psychodids, ceratopogonids, and ticks). Vertebrate infection occurs when the infected arthropod takes a blood meal. The term 'arbovirus' has no taxonomic significance. Arboviruses that cause human encephalitis are members of three virus families: the Togaviridae (genus Alphavirus), Flaviviridae, and Bunyaviridae.
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Posted: March 14 2007 at 9:39am |
Clinics set up in response to possible meningitis case
MEDFORD TOWNSHIP -- Preparations are being made by Burlington County health officials and Lenape Regional High School District to dispense "preventative medications" to students and others who may have come in contact with a student at Shawnee High School who is believed to have contracted bacterial meningitis, the county freeholders announced Tuesday night.
The county health department started making efforts to contact parents of students at the school after being notified Tuesday afternoon by a local hospital that a girl who is a senior at Shawnee was being treated for what preliminary testing has revealed to be bacterial meningitis.
The high school will post information about the disease on its Website and plans to send information home with students Wednesday. Permission slips will also be sent home with students so that they may receive the preventative medication during clinics to be held at the school from 1 to 7 p.m. Wednesday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday.
County officials said the student, whose name was not released, fell ill Sunday but may have been contagious last week. Anyone who came in contact with her last week is urged to receive the preventative medication.
Officials said the girl attended funeral services at St. Mary of the Lakes Church in Medford Lakes last Wednesday and Thursday (March 7 and 8) and also attended a student arts festival at Burlington County College on Friday.
While bacterial meningitis is considered one of the most serious forms of meningitis, it is not easily transmitted, the county said. Those at greatest risk of contracting the infection are those who come into close personal contact with the person with meningitis.
Contributed by Michael Ratcliffe
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Posted: March 17 2007 at 5:52am |
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New Test approved .....
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared for marketing a test that uses molecular biology to quickly detect the presence of viral meningitis. The Xpert EV test, when used in combination with other laboratory tests, will help physicians distinguish between viral meningitis and the less-common, but more severe, version of meningitis caused by bacteria.
Meningitis is an infection of the cerebrospinal fluid surrounding a person’s spinal cord and brain, causing inflammation of the tissues in these areas. The illness is diagnosed by testing the fluid obtained from a patient during a spinal tap. Typically, diagnostic tests for meningitis can take up to a week to get results. But results from the Xpert EV test are available in two and one-half hours.
http://www.playfuls.com/news_005563_FDA_Clears_Rapid_Test_for_Meningitis.html
"Because this test is significantly faster than existing methods for diagnosing meningitis, it could minimize delays in treating patients. Swift recognition of the cause and appropriate treatment is critical to patient recovery," said Daniel Schultz, M.D., director of the Center for Devices and Radiological Health. "Since bacterial meningitis can be deadly within as little as two days, patients who have viral meningitis are frequently treated with antibiotics as a safeguard against the more dangerous bacterial meningitis. This test should help physicians manage patients appropriately and prevent unnecessary treatment with antibiotics."
Knowing whether the meningitis is viral or bacterial is imperative to early effective treatment. But distinguishing between the two types of infection is difficult because of similar symptoms. Patients with viral meningitis usually recover within two weeks without any medical intervention. Bacterial meningitis, however, can lead to brain damage, hearing loss and even death if not treated properly.
For patients over two years of age, symptoms of meningitis include fever, severe headache, stiff neck, nausea, sleepiness, confusion, and sensitivity to bright lights or seizures. These symptoms may be absent or difficult to detect in newborns and small infants who may only appear slow or inactive, or be irritable, have vomiting or feed poorly.
The Xpert EV test is the first fully-automated medical diagnostic test that isolates and amplifies viral genetic material present in a patient’s cerebrospinal fluid by a process called reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. The test identifies infection resulting from a class of viruses known as Enterovirus, which are responsible for approximately 90 percent of all viral meningitis cases.
The Xpert EV test is performed by adding the sample directly to a disposable, single-use cartridge. The cartridge is loaded into the GeneXpert DX instrument which then conducts all the necessary laboratory procedures in a one-step, easy-to-use format that helps minimize errors.
The accuracy of the Xpert EV test was confirmed in a multi-site study at six institutions. A total of 255 patient samples were tested and demonstrated that 96 percent of patients who tested positive did have viral meningitis, and that 97 percent of patients who tested negative did not have viral meningitis.
The Xpert EV test was developed by Cepheid, a company located in Sunnyvale, Calif.
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Posted: March 19 2007 at 10:06am |
Two Lompoc students contract meningitis
By Neil Nisperos/Staff Writer
Parents at Fillmore Elementary School in Lompoc have been notified that a kindergarten student and his sister in preschool have contracted bacterial meningitis.
The 6-year-old boy and his 5-year-old sister are both recovering from the contagious but rare disease, Lompoc school and county health officials said. Rumors of the youngsters' illness began to circulate among parents at midweek, but school officials said they waited to get information about whether the boy was infected before notifying parents. The disease can be deadly if left untreated, officials said. Although the boy attends Fillmore, his sister attends a non-district Head Start program that is on the school grounds but separate from the campus. She contracted the disease the weekend of March 9 and her brother was diagnosed on Thursday, according to school and health officials. Principal Jan Boehme said she received notification of his infection Thursday, then decided to notify parents. Notices were mailed that day. In large letters, the notice reads, “This situation does not represent a meningococcol school outbreak.” Parents at the girl's school and the boy's kindergarten class have been advised by health officials to take their children to a doctor for preventive antibiotic treatment, said Bob Altavilla, senior school district health official.
Bacterial meningitis is an inflammation of the membrane surrounding the brain and spinal cord caused by a bacterial infection. Symptoms include fever, headache and nausea. According to Internet sources, bacterial meningitis is the most dangerous form of meningitis and has a high mortality rate if left untreated.
In the notification letter mailed to parents, officials indicated it is difficult to contract the disease because it can only be transmitted through intimate contact with salivary fluid. “It requires very close contact and its usually close contact by people in the same household such as kissing or sharing food and drink,” Boehme said. “Our teachers ensure that our students are not sharing food or drink.” County health official Michele Mickiewicz said the bacteria is common, but people rarely become infected. In the past six years there have been about two to four cases in Santa Barbara County each year, she said. “Getting it really is not easy,” Mickiewicz said. “The bacteria is passed only through direct and very close contact with someone.” Still, parents like Tanya Reed, mother of a fourth-grader at Fillmore, was upset that she wasn't notified as soon as the girl was found infected. Reed pulled her son out of school for a week because she said bacterial meningitis has an incubation period of about 10 days. She said her son will return to school when that time has passed. Reed said she and several other parents had been calling the school about the illness since Wednesday with the message that they should have been notified earlier. “If the kids sneeze and saliva comes out they can get it that way, and I know boys like to spit on their hands and shake sometimes,” she said. “Knowing she had a brother going to the school, they should have notified us sooner to warn us. It is a serious illness and I was mad that they didn't notify us (sooner). They have to notify us when the kids have chicken pox or anything else.” Reed said parents found out about the situation through word of mouth. “There's about 50 to 100 parents that are really upset,” Reed said. “By Wednesday afternoon, it was already the talk on everybody's mouth about what was going on.” Boehme said the situation is under control and parents who are still concerned should contact the health department and their family doctor. “It's very important for their kids to be in school,” Boehme said. “My understanding is there is a very small chance of this spreading. The chance is minimal. It seems like the health department feels it's under control.” Neil Nisperos can be reached at 737-1059, or nnisperos@santa mariatimes.com. March 17, 2007
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Posted: March 21 2007 at 8:40pm |
WHO vows to counter meningitis epidemic in Burkina Faso
The World Health Organization on Monday pledged millions of emergency vaccines to counter a meningitis epidemic in Burkina Faso which has killed at least 583 people.
The WHO said 3.35 million vaccines would be sent to the west African nation, where 7,333 suspected cases of meningitis were registered between January 1 and March 11.
About 1.16 million vaccines were expected to arrive this week.
The UN agency said in a statement that poverty-hit Burkina Faso urgently needs 1.2 million dollars (900,000 euros) for the vaccination campaign.
Burkina Faso, one of the world's poorest nations, is on the so-called "meningitis belt" that runs from Senegal across the southern Sahara to Ethiopia, meningitis is a major problem.
The disease usually breaks out during the December-January dry season when it is carried by warm, dry winds.
Meningitis, which is an airborne virus, infects the brain and spinal cord. Its symptoms include fever, rashes and vomiting
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Posted: March 23 2007 at 6:44am |
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Fungal meningitis, or cryptococcal meningitis, is not communicable person to person, unlike bacterial meningitis. ..........The disease can be contracted by the inhalation of its isolated fungus particles from old pigeon droppings or soil. .........................
Lompoc man dies of fungal meningitis
The Associated Press
Article Launched: 03/21/2007 07:14:31 AM PDT
LOMPOC, Calif.- A 48-year-old man has died of rare fungal meningitis.
The man, whose name wasn't disclosed, was diagnosed with fungal meningitis in January by doctors at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital. He died Feb. 22.
The man had complained of difficulty breathing, weakness in his limbs and partial loss of sight and hearing.
Meningitis is an inflammation of the membrane surrounding the brain and spinal cord and can be caused by a virus, bacteria or fungus.
Fungal meningitis, or cryptococcal meningitis, is not communicable person to person, unlike bacterial meningitis.
The disease can be contracted by the inhalation of its isolated fungus particles from old pigeon droppings or soil.
"It's an infection that can occur sporadically, but it's not something we see a lot of," Batson said.
The man's death came about three weeks before two youngsters at Fillmore Elementary School contracted bacterial meningitis, which can be communicable between people through salivary contact.
School officials said one of the children is back in his kindergarten class and the preschool girl is recovering. Both were treated with antibiotics. Information from: The Lompoc Record, http://www.lompocrecord.com
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Posted: March 23 2007 at 6:50am |
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More ....
Meningitis death may force cleanup
By Neil Nisperos/Staff Writer
Federal inspectors, on a routine biannual tour of the Celite plant in Lompoc this week, have been prompted to check for bird or bat droppings after learning of an employee's death in February from fungal meningitis.
The victim's wife said she suspects her husband contracted the disease after returning to work last August. He was diagnosed in January and died from the disease on Feb. 22.
Fungal meningitis is rare but may be contracted from the inhalation of the fungal spores from old bird droppings.
An employee at the plant, who declined to be identified, said another worker recovered after contracting meningitis three months ago. The type of meningitis in that case is unclear, although it was not fungal meningitis, which was contracted this year by a 6-year-old boy and his 5-year-old sister in Lompoc.
Several employees at the plant, who also did not want their names used, said union representatives asked investigators from the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration to test for conditions that may cause meningitis as well as the debilitating lung disease Valley Fever. The employees said two Celite workers recently contracted the disease, which is contracted by breathing fungal spores and causes flu-like symptoms - headache, nausea, fever, rash, muscle pain.
Amy Louviere, a spokeswoman for MSHA, said she was unaware of the request for tests, but confirmed that the meningitis death did prompt an investigation of the animal droppings.
“The inspector will check for signs of bird or bat droppings, especially in any abandoned areas/buildings on the property,” Louviere said. “These droppings are capable of releasing spores that can get into the lungs.”
Louviere said, depending upon what the inspector finds, the company may be required to conduct a cleanup of hazardous materials.
“If so, that would show up in the form of a citation issued to the company,” she said.
Celite spokesman and corporate counsel Jim Kuykendall said he couldn't comment on the MSHA investigation and added, “We are not aware of any conditions at the plant that would have caused such illnesses.”
John Lewis, regional director for the International Chemical Workers Union, said Thursday it is too early to tell if there is any connection between conditions at the plant and the employee illnesses, but said union officials are eager to hear what MSHA investigators discover.
“I haven't seen the areas myself, but the workers have been trying to get the company to clean that stuff up for a number of years and haven't been able to get it done.”
Lewis said Celite employees informed him that the bird droppings “have been quite deep in some areas of the plant.”
Neil Nisperos can be reached at 737-1059 or nnisperos@lompocrecord.com.
March 23, 2007
http://www.lompocrecord.com/articles/2007/03/23/news/news02.txt
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Posted: March 23 2007 at 6:54am |
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Local College Student Dies Suddenly
Health Leaders Believe Meningitis May Be Cause
POSTED: 8:24 am EDT March 23, 2007
INDIANA, Pa. -- An Indiana University of Pennsylvania student may have died from a meningitis infection.
The student was a 20 year old sophomore psychology major living in Elkins ******.
She died suddenly on Wednesday, after complaining of a fever, chills, and a stiff neck.
Health leaders believe she may have died from bacterial meningitis.
Other students were shocked by the girl's death.
“I heard about it last night. Some girls were talking about it in the ******way,” said Becky Butler, a sophomore.
IUP is taking precautions, notifying anyone who may have had direct contact with the student.
They are also offering free preventative medicines.
http://www.wpxi.com/news/11345802/detail.html
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Posted: March 23 2007 at 7:01am |
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This is not good 4th post here tonight.. Bellow student dead susp meningitis..
Posted on Fri, Mar. 23,
Doctors suspect sick student has meningitis
By Phillip Ramati
TELEGRAPH STAFF WRITER
A 16-year-old West Laurens high school student remained in critical condition Thursday after contracting what is believed to be a form of meningitis.
Nathan Sedrick is a patient at Egleston Children's Hospital in Atlanta. A spokesman for the hospital said he couldn't go into details about Sedrick's condition other than saying he was critical.
Mark Harden, the environmental health director for the South Central Health District, said his office expects to hear from the hospital within the next couple of days about Sedrick's illness.
Harden said there are many forms of meningitis, some more serious than others. He said the odds of it becoming contagious were fairly low.
Jerry Hatcher, superintendent of Laurens County schools, said the weight room and locker room at the high school were going to be sanitized as a precaution, but that no one knows where or when Sedrick got sick.
"There's no indication that anything he has was contracted at the school," Hatcher said, stressing that he has discussed the case with the health department and believes the school to be safe. "We're airing on the side of safety, going into the locker room and weight room to do sanitizing. We're also going to give the kids some lessons in hygiene. Our prayers are for the student and his family."
http://www.macon.com/mld/macon/living/education/16956836.htm
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Posted: March 23 2007 at 10:12am |
El Capitan students treated against meningitis outbreak
Hundreds given vaccines, antibiotics after three middle schoolers get sick.
By Anne Dudley Ellis / The Fresno Bee
The Fresno County Health Department dispensed hundreds of doses of antibiotics and vaccines Thursday at El Capitan Middle School and planned to close the campus today after three students were hospitalized with meningococcal meningitis, a rare and contagious bacterial disease.
Central Unified School District employees turned the school's gym into a makeshift shot clinic after working late into the night Wednesday on an emergency plan to try to get antibiotics to all 811 students. The school is near McKinley and Blythe avenues in west-central Fresno.
Central Unified Superintendent Marilou Ryder said Thursday that the medicine delivery went as planned.
"My biggest fear was pandemonium, and that absolutely did not happen," Ryder said.
Still, the district and health department decided to close the school out of concern about the disease and the distractions created by the situation, officials said.
"It just kind of helps everybody, eases their mind," said David Luchini, division manager of communicable diseases for the county health department.
District officials said 78 students were absent Thursday, about twice the normal rate.
The district planned to use buses to transport students to the campus today who did not get the antibiotics Thursday.
Parents would be allowed to ride the buses with their children.
The antibiotics will be provided between 9 a.m. and noon, said Edward Moreno, health officer for Fresno County.
Meanwhile, health officials were still investigating the activities of the three infected El Capitan students but had not determined that the students had any close contact recently that would have spread the disease.
The department has sent samples to the state Department of Health laboratory for testing to help determine the source of the infection.
The three students were still in the hospital Thursday, health department officials said.
One has developed meningococcemia, a potentially life-threatening infection of the bloodstream.
Meningococcal meningitis kills about 10% of those it infects and can cause brain damage and other ailments if not treated early.
Those who had close contact with the infected students received antibiotics earlier this week to prevent them from becoming infected.
The germs that spread the disease are carried on respiratory droplets, typically spread from person to person by sharing a cup or a kiss; they are not spread through casual contact.
Parents and students seemed to be taking the emergency in stride, although some were nervous.
"I was scared as soon as they told me," said Maribel Mujica, who has two sons at El Capitan.
She arrived at the school Thursday afternoon, along with scores of other parents, to sign release forms so that their children could receive the antibiotics.
Eighth-grader Zhibley Escalante said she thought one of the stricken students was a classmate.
Many students were concerned, she said.
"They're scared because they might have [the disease]," Zhibley said.
Pam Hargrove, who has an eighth-grade son at El Capitan, said the school seemed to respond well to the outbreak.
"From what I can see, the parents are knowing what's going on," Hargrove said.
The school used an automated phone-calling system and staff in an effort to urge every El Capitan family Wednesday and Thursday to have their children take the antibiotics.
The antibiotics are to prevent students who harbor the bacteria from becoming sick. The vaccination, when it begins working in about 10 days, should protect them over the long term against most strains of bacterial meningitis.
The county health department gave antibiotics to 608 El Capitan students and also 45 students from other schools who are teammates of El Capitan Middle School athletes, Moreno said.
In addition, 146 adults received antibiotics, he said.
Luchini said he could not recall the department having ever dispensed antibiotics to all students at a school.
Bacterial meningitis is an infection of the fluid of the spinal cord and swelling of the membrane that surrounds the brain.
Unlike viral meningitis, which is caused by a virus and leads to a less severe illness, meningococcal meningitis affects only about one in 100,000 people.
About 10% of the population harbors the bacteria, but few become ill with it.
Fresno County generally has six cases a year of the disease, Luchini said.
"It's so rare, I don't think we'll have any more cases [at the school]," he said. "I hope we've stopped it."
Bee staff writer Barbara Anderson contributed to this report. The reporter can be reached at aellis@fresnobee.com or (559) 441-6328.
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Posted: March 28 2007 at 6:36am |
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Boy contracts rare disease
Fruit Cove Middle School student in intensive care at Wolfson
By MARCIA LANE |marcia.lane@staugustine.com | Posted: Wednesday, March 28, 2007
A Fruit Cove Middle School seventh grader is in intensive care at Wolfson Children's Hospital in Jacksonville with what is apparently a meningococcal infection, an illness that can lead to meningitis or blood poisoning.
"We have a preliminary report, but not a definitive one," St. Johns County Health Department Director Dr. Dawn Allicock said Tuesday.
Dr. Mobeen Rathore, chief of pediatric infection diseases for University of Florida College of Medicine -- Jacksonville, said although final diagnosis had not been confirmed it was "very unlikely to be something else."The boy was admitted to Wolfson on Sunday.
Meningococcal infection is a serious illness caused by bacteria that can lead to meningitis (infection and inflammation of the lining of the brain) and septicaemia (blood poisoning) that can spread through the body.
It has been more than a week since the boy was in school, said Margie Davidson, spokeswoman for the St. Johns County School District. The school system was told about the illness Monday night.
"At this stage it looks like the only children who will be in contact are those outside of school. There is nothing at the school site to cause concern," Davidson said.
The school system posted the information about the illness on its Web site and has used its "Alert Now" system to send telephone messages to parents of children attending Fruit Cove and Julington Creek Elementary School. Letters were also sent to Fruit Cove parents, Davidson said.
Officials have been working together to "identify, diagnose and treat any close contacts" (with the boy), Allicock said.
"We have to be assertive to take care of potential contacts," she said.
Highest risk to others occurs within the first 24 to 48 hours, Rathore said. A headache and high fever are early symptoms.
"Early on it is very difficult to differentiate from other illnesses," he said. As the infection develops, he said, patients can feel a malaise, horrible aches, skin rash and blotches.
A vaccine is available to prevent the infection. People who have concerns should contact their physician, he said.
Health officials are seeking to identify close contacts with the youth and treat them with antibiotics to prevent illness, according to a press release from the Health Department.
The infection is spread through the exchange of throat and respiratory secretions with the infected individual.
To avoid the infection, people need to practice good hygiene including covering their nose and mouth when sneezing or coughing, washing their hands, disposing of soiled tissues and not sharing utensils, drinking glasses or toothbrushes.
http://staugustine.com/stories/032807/news_4496560.shtml
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Posted: March 29 2007 at 3:42am |
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If you want a vaccination:
What: Study on the meningitis vaccines, one of which is yet to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration
Where: Student Health Center
When: Until May 1
Pay: Students who participate are compensated $20 for each visit.
News
SHC conducting meningitis vaccine study
Participants will receive $20 per visit to center
By Josh Veazey
Contributing Writer
March 29, 2007
The Student Health Center is asking for 300 students to participate in a study comparing two vaccines for bacteria that cause meningitis.
The study will compare two vaccines that prevent Neisseria meningitides: Minactra, the leading vaccine, and a new vaccine awaiting approval from the Food and Drug Administration.
"It's an interesting trial in the sense that there's not a placebo," said Dr. Ashley Evans, an associate professor in the department of pediatrics. "Anyone who enrolls will get a vaccine against Neisseria meningitides."
Some students said they are concerned about the study.
"I think it inhibits autonomy because they approach me as a poor college student," said Casey Garcia, a freshman majoring in political science. "Which may be the reason they came here in the first place."
Evans said the vaccine is completely safe, citing "pain at the injection point" as the only hazard.
"There is no possible way for this to give you the disease," Evans said. "It is not a live vaccine."
Instead, the vaccine uses fragments of a dead bacterium, which Evans said is enough to trigger a response from the body's immune system so the body "learns" to fight the disease.
The vaccine on trial is in its third and final phase of testing, Evans said, and has already been injected into thousands of subjects. Evans said she cannot discuss the vaccine in depth because of confidentiality issues with the study, but said she stresses that the vaccine is being tested for effectiveness, not for safety.
Some students said they are skeptical about the effects of the vaccine.
Erica McDaniel, a freshman majoring in human development, said while she understands participants can't get meningitis from the vaccine, she said she is still uncertain about what side effects the vaccine could bring.
"No vaccine is perfect," said Dr. David Roberts, a physician at the Student Health Center. "The meningococcal germ has several variations."
Both doctors stressed a need for a better vaccine, which is one point of the study.
The study will continue until May 1. Students participating in the trial will have their medical history reviewed, receive a physical examination, receive the shot and have a small amount of blood drawn. A follow-up visit will include another physical and another small amount of blood drawn. Students will be compensated $20 for each visit.
If you want a vaccination:
What: Study on the meningitis vaccines, one of which is yet to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration
Where: Student Health Center
When: Until May 1
Pay: Students who participate are compensated $20 for each visit.
http://www.cw.ua.edu/vnews/display.v/ART/2007/03/29/460b461d92c70
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Posted: March 29 2007 at 8:37pm |
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Teenage girl dies of meningitis
The Associated Press
Article Launched: 03/27/2007 10:24:21 AM PDT
DEL MAR, Calif.- A high school freshman died over the weekend from a meningococcal infection, public health officials confirmed.
Adria Horning, 15, died Sunday, four days after becoming infected with meningitis.
Horning, of Del Mar, was one of 11 county residents to die from the bacteria of 87 cases confirmed since 2001, the county's Health and Human Services Agency said Monday.
County epidemiologist Michele Ginsberg said she had not heard of any cases linked to Horning's illness.
Horning's family members and those who were in close contact with her at Canyon Crest Academy were urged to take antibiotics as a precaution.
School principal David Jaffe said Horning was well-liked and a basketball player.
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Information from: The San Diego Union-Tribune, http://www.signonsandiego.com
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Posted: April 07 2007 at 11:45pm |
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City offers 900 free vaccinations to help prevent bacterial meningitis
ALASKA DIGEST
Published: April 7, 2007
Last Modified: April 7, 2007 at 12:51 AM
ANCHORAGE -- The city is offering 900 free vaccinations to prevent bacterial meningitis, a rare but sometimes fatal infection.
The shots will be given in a one-time clinic from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday in The Commons Building at UAA, off Bragaw Street near student housing.
The state had a supply of vaccine that was about to expire, and gave it to the city, said Teresa O'Connor, city community health services manager. The city saw it as an opportunity to get shots to people who should have them, and at the same, practice its ability to quickly distribute medicine as part of its preparation for emergencies, she said.
Last October and November, the city did the same kind of exercise, dispensing more than 1,000 influenza shots quickly.
The meningitis vaccine is available to people between 11 and 55 years of age. It is recommended especially for college students living in dormitory-style housing and military recruits because the disease is infectious. It spreads by close contact with nose or throat discharges of an infected person.
The vaccine can prevent different types of meningococcal disease -- an infection of the bloodstream or the meninges, the thin lining covering the brain and spinal cord. Both Alaska Pacific University and University of Alaska Anchorage recommend that their students get the vaccine, said O'Connor.
-- Anchorage Daily News
http://www.adn.com/life/story/8772572p-8673964c.html
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Posted: August 05 2007 at 4:41am |
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