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Rare but Deadly Meningitis: Don't forget kid shots |
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| Seattle Times |
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| August 31, 2009 |
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| "Fever, chills, vomiting: It
starts like a stomach bug or the flu. But bacterial meningitis can go on to
kill terrifyingly fast — one of the few infections in the U.S. where someone
can feel fine in the morning and be dead by night. And prime targets are
tweens, teens and college freshmen. Amid all the publicity about children's
flu shots this year is quiet concern that vaccination against meningococcal
meningitis not fall by the wayside, just as doctors are charting some
progress against the rare but devastating infection..." |
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Teen 2 Teen Meningitis Angels are Stomping Out Meningitis |
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| PR Newswire |
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| August 13, 2009 |
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| "Dressed in camouflage and armed with the
facts of disease and prevention, Meningitis Teen Angels (MA) launched their
new national meningitis pre-teen and teen back-to-school campaign today:
Stomping Out Meningitis. Meningitis Angels was founded in memory of Ryan
Milley, who died at the age of 18 from meningococcemia, a severe infection
of the bloodstream caused by the bacteria Neisseria meningitidis. This is
the same bacteria which causes meningococcal meningitis..." |
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Tests Confirm Clemson Student Had Meningitis |
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| Greenville (South Carolina) News |
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| August 11, 2009 |
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| "Lab tests confirmed last week that a
Clemson University student who died on Aug. 1 had bacterial meningitis, the
most deadly form of the disease. State Department of Health and
Environmental Control test results showed that Danielle Rae Fleming, 20, had
neisseria meningitis, said Pickens County Coroner Kandy Kelly. Fleming, a
rising junior in mathematical sciences from New Jersey, died at Oconee
Medical Center. Her death sparked a state health investigation centered on
Pickens County to prevent spread of the disease..." |
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Scary Lesson for Pennsylvania Teen Who Declined Vaccine |
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| Journal Gazette |
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| July 12, 2009 |
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| "Derek Horn is lucky to be alive. At the
end of March, the East Stroudsburg University freshman found himself
battling flu-like symptoms. At first, his health started to improve. But as
the week drew to a close, and he went from his jazz listening class to
psychology on campus, the 18-year-old could feel his condition worsen. His
stomach ached and his fever spiked..." |
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Bellefontaine Hospital Takes Steps to Prevent Infection; Meningitis
Death Prompts Changes at Mary Rutan |
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| Columbus Dispatch |
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| June 18, 2009 |
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| "Mary Rutan Hospital in Bellefontaine
has said it has removed all outdated medicines and supplies from its
maternity unit and has put new infection-control procedures in place in
response to a state inspection. The hospital filed a correction plan
with the state this week to address violations issued by the Ohio
Department of Health, which licenses maternity units. Inspectors visited
the hospital in late May after the death of Susan Ryan Finch Simpson,
30..." |
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OU Reports New Meningitis Case; 2 Students Hospitalized This Week with
'Probable' Infections |
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| Columbus Dispatch |
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| June 11, 2009 |
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|
"A second Ohio University
student has been hospitalized this week in Columbus after having a
probable case of potentially serious bacterial meningitis diagnosed. The
first-year male student lives in Tiffin Hall on the East Green of the
Athens campus, officials said. OU officials and physicians met with
Tiffin Hall residents yesterday afternoon to provide information about
the disease and distribute antibiotics.On Monday, a freshman woman who
lives in Washington Hall on the East Green also had probable bacterial
meningitis diagnosed and was hospitalized in Columbus. Officials were
investigating the possibility both attended a residence-halls social
event Friday, said Dean of Students Ryan Lombardi..." |
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Officials: Hospital Safe Despite Fatal Case of Meningitis |
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| The Columbus Dispatch (Ohio) |
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| May 27, 2009 |
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| Officials at Mary Rutan Hospital in
Bellefontaine say they don't know how two women in separate rooms of the
maternity ward -- one of whom later died -- contracted bacterial
meningitis late last week. But they say there is no threat of an
outbreak and that expectant mothers ready to deliver their babies at the
Logan County hospital have no cause for concern. The hospital has pulled
batches of any medications the women may have been given and what
remains of any supplies that were used and they will be tested as a
possible source, said hospital spokeswoman Tammy Allison. She did not
know whether hospital employees would be tested for the bacteria...." |
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A Shot to Live: Meningitis Immunization in Chad |
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| UNICEF |
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| May 8, 2009 |
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| "The Minister of Health in Chad said
last month that the area near the capital, N'Djamena, is in the midst of
a meningitis outbreak. Six areas are experiencing an epidemic, with more
than 10 deaths per 100,000 people per week. More than 1,160 cases and
128 deaths have been reported since the end of December. The health
ministry worked with UNICEF and the World Health Organization on a
five-day vaccination campaign in late April, and citizens were urged by
local radio stations and religious and community leaders to have their
children vaccinated. Enough vaccine for 700,000 children and young
adults has been provided by UNICEF so far..." |
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Nigeria Meningitis Death Toll Rises Above 2,000 |
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| Reuters |
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| May 6, 2009 |
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| "The death toll from a meningitis
outbreak in Nigeria has risen to 2,148 since the first case was recorded
in December. The number of reported cases increased more than eightfold
in the same period, reaching 47,902 in a population of 140 million.
UNICEF said last month that this could be the worst epidemic for five
years, with meningitis killing more than 2,500 people this year in West
and Central Africa. Nigeria, Niger, Burkina Faso, and Chad are
considered the high-risk zones in Africa, where basic healthcare is
limited in rural areas..." |
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South Florida Meningitis Outbreak Baffles Health Experts |
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| Miami Herald |
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| April 24, 2009 |
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| "Local, state and national health
experts are baffled as to how a rare and deadly strain of meningitis
killed four people and infected eight others in South Florida since
December, an unprecedented outbreak in the United States. The cases of
the W135 strain of meningitis were disclosed Wednesday by Miami-Dade
health officials. On Thursday, they were recommending vaccinations for
those in high-risk groups--mainly those living in close and crowded
situations such as college dorms or military barracks..." |
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President Barack Obama Talks about Daughter Sasha's Meningitis Scare
During Infancy |
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| Chicago Tribune |
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| March 28, 2009 |
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| "She may be her parents' "precious
pea," but Sasha Obama gave them quite a scare as an infant. Sasha
developed meningitis when she was 3 months old and underwent a battery
of frightening tests, President Barack Obama recalled during his
Internet town hall meeting Thursday. It was the first time aides could
recall him publicly discussing the family's medical crisis. "The doctors
did a terrific job," Obama said, "but, frankly, it was the nurses that
were there with us when she had to get a spinal tap, and all sorts of
things that were just bringing me to tears." The White House could not
confirm Friday which type of meningitis Sasha developed or other details
about the illness. Sasha, now a spirited 7-year-old whom Obama referred
to as "our little precious pea" during the Internet chat, does not seem
to have suffered lasting effects. Her father, however, said the
experience changed the way he viewed medical care, prompting him to
promise to give nurses a voice in an upcoming health-care summit..." |
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Coronado Student Diagnosed With Meningitis |
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| 10News.com (San Diego) |
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| March 27, 2009 |
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| "A fifth-grader at a Coronado
elementary school has been diagnosed with meningococcal meningitis, a
type of bacterial meningitis, the San Diego County Health and Human
Services Agency announced Friday. Officials at Silver Strand Elementary
School have sent letters to parents of children in the sickened
student's class detailing the symptoms of the disease and recommended
precautionary measures, according to the HHSA...." |
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UVa Student Hospitalized with Meningitis |
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| The Daily Progress |
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| March 27, 2009 |
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| "For the first time in nearly three
years, a University of Virginia student has come down with bacterial
meningitis. The 21-year-old, fourth-year student was admitted to the
University of Virginia Medical Center on Wednesday afternoon, according
to Marian L. Anderfuren, a UVa spokeswoman. The male student was in
serious condition as of Thursday night, Anderfuren said in a release.
All those who had close contact with the student, including emergency
responders, were notified and have been given the antibiotic
prophylaxis, Anderfuren said. Those who had casual contact with the
student are not believed to be at risk..." |
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University Park Student Diagnosed with Bacterial Meningitis |
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| States News Service |
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| March 26, 2009 |
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| "University Park Health officials at
Penn State report that a probable case of meningococcal meningitis has
been diagnosed in a 20-year-old student, who has been hospitalized at
Geisinger Medical Center and is being treated for the infection. In
addition, friends and acquaintances of the student have been contacted
and offered the appropriate prophylactic medication. University Health
Services opened early Saturday to begin administering medication as
recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The
affected student was a member and resident of Alpha Chi Rho fraternity
at 425 Locust Lane, and all fraternity members were advised to seek
medical treatment. To date, 400 individuals have been treated and
University officials are working with fraternity members to identify any
additional students who may be at risk..." |
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Woman Dies of Meningitis after Returning from Trip with Students |
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| Kansas City Star |
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| March 24, 2009 |
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| "A 58-year-old Lenexa woman died
Monday after returning Sunday from a trip to a Mexican resort where she
was accompanying a group of students from Shawnee Mission West High
School. Mary Jo Allen, a developer, contracted bacterial meningitis, an
infection of the fluid around the spinal cord that ultimately surround
the brain. The Johnson County Health Department said the symptoms range
from fever, headache and a stiff neck to more severe symptoms such as
confusion or seizures. Teri Scott, a nurse and friend of Allen who also
was on the trip, said Allen became seriously ill when she returned to
Kansas City Sunday and died the next day. The group of about 40 students
and their parents were on a senior trip during the spring break vacation
from classes..." |
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Washington University Warns that Student Might Have Meningitis |
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| The Kansas City Star |
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| March 21, 2009 |
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| "A Washington University student
living in the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity house may have contracted
meningococcal meningitis, the university said Friday. Meningitis is a
potentially life-threatening infection that can be spread to people who
have had close contact with the infected person. The university sent out
an e-mail to students, faculty and staff about the case on Friday
afternoon..." |
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Parents Rush Children to Get Vaccinated |
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|
CBS5 (WY) |
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March 19, 2009 |
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"Parents are not taking any risks when it comes to their child's
health. 'We don't know what the future holds. We don't know who's going
to be a close contact and become positive with meningitis,' said Alisia
Simental who took her teenage daughter to get the vaccine. Those are the
concerns of most parents after learning a Johnson Junior High Student
was diagnosed with a case of bacterial meningitis. 'There was a concern
at the beginning but now knowing that it wasn't an outbreak, I feel
sorry for the child. I took the other step to have her vaccinated to
prevent if there were further kids that were positive for for
meningitis,' as Simental looks on as her daughter gets her shot..." |
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Meningitis Vaccine Advised after Student Diagnosed |
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| Wyoming Tribune |
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| March 18, 2009 |
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| "A Johnson Junior High student with
bacterial meningitis was flown to Denver Children's Hospital in
intensive care, a doctor said Tuesday. Emergency room doctors at
Cheyenne Regional Medical Center diagnosed the infection Monday. The
patient was in critical condition on a ventilator, said Dr. Stan
Hartman, county medical officer..." |
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Bacterial Meningitis Spikes among College Students |
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|
Tribune Review |
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March 12, 2009 |
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|
"In photos, Chelsea Kay Kanatus looks like one of those girls who had
it all -- silky blonde hair, blue eyes and a dazzling smile with perfect
white teeth. Looking at them, her mother can't believe she's gone,
buried in a Virginia cemetery on Monday, one week after her death from
bacterial meningitis. It happened so fast. Sheila Pack, of Stephens
City, Va., said the horrific chain of events started Feb. 28 when her
daughter, a 19-year-old West Virginia University freshman, went to
Morgantown's Ruby Memorial Hospital emergency room for treatment of
flulike symptoms. She was treated and sent home, but returned the next
morning and was admitted to the hospital because her condition worsened.
Pack jumped in her car and raced to Morgantown, about 160 miles from her
home. By the next morning, Chelsea was gone. "We spent four good hours
talking about everything," Pack said, her voice breaking with emotion.
"I'm so glad I got there in time." Since mid-February, at least seven
college students in Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia have been
stricken with meningococcal, or bacterial, meningitis, an infection of
fluid in the spinal cord and surrounding the brain. About 3,000 cases --
including 300 fatalities -- are reported annually in the United States,
according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention..." |
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Meningitis Strikes a Third Student at Appleton North High School: Others
who may have had contact with victims sought |
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| The Post-Crescent (WI) |
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| March 7, 2009 |
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| "A bowl of frosting is suspected in
the transfer of a bacterial strain of meningitis that passed from one
infected person to two others. Kurt Eggebrecht, Appleton city health
officer, said Friday the third case of suspected meningitis was
confirmed. All three victims are Appleton North High School students and
an advisory to parents is posted on the school's Web site..." |
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WVU Meningitis Victim Was from Virginia |
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| MSNBC. com |
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| March 5, 2009 |
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| "The 19-year-old West Virginia
University freshman who died of suspected bacterial meningitis has been
identified as Chelsea Kanatus. She graduated last year from Sherando
High School in Stephens City, Va. Health officials said Wednesday they
could not release the girl's name until her family agreed to waive her
right to privacy. They also say they're confident they've identified
everyone who had significant contact with Kanatus. A total of 40 people,
in Morgantown and elsewhere, have been treated with antibiotics as a
precaution..." |
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Meningitis Strikes Soldier: Woman improving, Army reports |
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| The State (SC) |
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| March 4, 2009 |
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| "A Fort Jackson soldier who is going
through advanced training was in a Columbia hospital Friday with a form
of meningitis. Tests indicated the female soldier has gram-negative
Neisseria meningitis, the Army said. The strain is different from the
type of meningitis that killed two soldiers in mid-February at Fort
Leonard Wood, Mo., another Army training post. The Fort Jackson soldier,
who was diagnosed with the illness Thursday, was in a step-down
intensive care unit and showing signs of improvement, an Army spokesman
said..." |
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Health Officials Say Meningitis Ravaging Northern Nigeria |
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| Voice of America |
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| March 4, 2009 |
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| "Health officials are reporting an
outbreak of meningitis in northern Nigeria, which has claimed more than
60 lives, so far. Nigeria lies in the "meningitis belt" that stretches
across the continent, from Senegal in the west to Ethiopia in the east.
January 2009, meningitis cases have been reported in virtually every
state in northern Nigeria. The most affected states are Gombe, Kano,
Katsina and Bauchi...." |
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Meningitis Kills 3 in Sedgwick County |
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| February 27, 2009 |
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| "Three people in Sedgwick County have
died of bacterial meningitis since January, but only one of the victims
suffered from a more contagious variety of the illness, health officials
said Friday. A Sedgwick County resident died in January, and two others
died in February, according to Jennifer McCausland, spokeswoman for the
Sedgwick County Health Department. The person who died in January had a
more contagious strain of bacterial meningitis, called neisseria
meningitidis, said Janice McCoy, public health emergency coordinator for
the health department..." |
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Second OU Student Has Meningitis; Both in Stable Condition, Families Say |
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| Columbus Dispatch (Ohio) |
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| February 18, 2009 |
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| "A second case of bacterial
meningitis was confirmed yesterday among students at Ohio University's
main campus in Athens. The two freshmen suffering from the contagious,
serious illness are in stable condition and improving, their families
told OU officials. OU officials identified the ill students as John
O'Brien, 19, of Columbus, and Michael Crane, 19, of Bellbrook in Greene
County. O'Brien, the son of Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O'Brien and
his wife, Susan, is being treated at Riverside Methodist Hospital.The
families of the hospitalized students consented to the release of their
names to allow those who might have been in close contact with them to
seek antibiotic treatment if desired. The elder O'Brien said late
yesterday afternoon that his son remains in the intensive-care unit at
Riverside. 'This afternoon, John sat up in his bed and recognized and
conversed with me, his mother and sister,' the prosecutor wrote in an
e-mail. "We believe this is the first step towards a full recovery..." |
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New Child Vaccine Against Meningitis B May Be Available by 2011 |
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| The Times (UK) |
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| February 11, 2009 |
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| "A new vaccine to protect children
against meningitis B is likely to be approved within two years,
researchers say. The meningococcus B vaccine developed by pharmaceutical
company Novartis is the frontrunner in the race to provide immunisation
against an infection that kills approximately 100 children in Britain
each year. The jab, currently in the final stages of testing at the
University of Oxford, is the first of its kind to be developed after the
entire genome of a deadly bacteria was sequenced. Meningococcus B is the
most common cause of meningitis in Britain. Although vaccines are
available for pneumococcal meningitis and the "C" and "Hib" types,
scientists have struggled to find an effective vaccine for meningococcus
B, which is responsible for 80 per cent of confirmed infections — 1,070
cases last year..." |
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Mom: Meningitis Vaccine Is Vital |
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| Times-Mail (IN) |
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| January 9, 2009 |
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| "If Nancy Fletcher had known what she knows now about bacterial
meningitis, her daughter might be
alive today.. A vaccination given to adolescents and young adults going
off to college would have
protected her daughter. Tammy Fletcher was 28 years old and just five
months into her new job as a
teacher in a school near Orlando, Fla., when she came down with
cold-like symptoms. She came home
to visit her parents Tom and Nancy of Bedford for Christmas..." |
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| US News Coverage and Articles |
| National Meningitis Association |
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Academy Names Midshipman Who Died from Meningitis; 66 at Academy get
Antibiotics, Monitoring as Precaution |
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| The Capitol (MD) |
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| November 18, 2008 |
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| "It was Naval Academy Midshipman 4th
Class Frederick Henry Eissler, 20, of West Chester, Pa., who died Monday
from complications due to an infection of Nieserra meningitis, the Naval
Academy reported Tuesday evening..." |
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Meningitis Vaccine is Revisited |
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| Houston Chronicle |
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| November 10, 2008 |
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| "Local immunization advocates
are renewing their call for Texas to require a meningitis vaccine for
middle-school students after the recent death of a 13-year-old Houston
girl..." |
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| Miracle Boy Wins Battle with Bacterial Meningitis |
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| Daily Register (Iowa) |
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| October 24, 2008 |
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| "Doctors in Iowa City have named him “The Miracle Boy.” Hunter Fuller, the four-year-old from Fairbank who was airlifted from Waverly Hospital to University Hospitals in Iowa City with the onset of bacterial meningitis on Sept. 23, went home Wednesday..." |
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| JMU Confirms Meningitis Case |
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| Daily News Record |
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| October 15, 2008 |
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| "James Madison University confirmed a single case of bacterial meningitis on Tuesday and is asking the public's help in identifying anyone who may have come into contact with the patient. Freshman Taylor Rash, a resident of Weaver Hall, is being treated at Rockingham Memorial Hospital, according to a statement from the university's office of Public Affairs. Bacterial meningitis, while contagious, is spread by direct exchange of nose and throat secretions, usually through prolonged contact with the infected person..." |
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| Meningitis Vaccine Urged for Older Kids |
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| La Vista Sun (NE) |
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| August 18, 2008 |
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| "A rare disease that kills or maims many of its victims is gaining increased attention in the hope that it can be largely wiped out. Meningococcal disease, a form of bacterial meningitis, can kill within 24 hours of the appearance of symptoms..." |
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| Quelling a Killer: The Case for the Meningococcal Vaccine |
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| Wall Street Journal |
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| August 5, 2008 |
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| "The stories sound chillingly similar. A healthy teenager comes down with what seems like the flu, then gets rapidly weaker, spikes a high fever, starts vomiting and breaks out in a rash. By the time he or she gets to the hospital, infection is overwhelming the body's defenses and shutting down vital organs..." |
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| Central Michigan Student Dies of Meningitis |
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| Democrat and Chronicle (NY) |
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| May 8, 2008 |
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| "A 26-year-old Central Michigan University student has died of a bacterial form of meningitis while visiting the west side of the state, Ottawa County Health Department officials have announced. Senior LaMott Smith of Sterling Heights died of meningococcal meningitis May 7 after falling ill at a May 6 party in Coopersville, officials said..." |
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| Meningitis C Deaths Cut to Zero |
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| BBC News (UK) |
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| April 22, 2008 |
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| "There were no deaths from meningitis C among under-19s in England last year, a government report has revealed. Before routine immunisation was introduced in 1999, up to 78 children a year were killed by the infection..." |
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| Uganda: Vaccine Program Vanquishes a Dangerous Type of Childhood Meningitis |
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| New York Times |
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| March 11, 2008 |
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| "A dangerous type of childhood meningitis has been virtually eliminated in Uganda in just five years after a vaccine was introduced, according to a study released this week. That should save the lives of 5,000 children a year, the authors estimated..." |
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| Africa: Low Cost Meningitis Vaccine Developed |
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| IRIN (UN) |
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| March 4, 2008 |
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| "A new low-cost and highly effective meningitis vaccine will be introduced in 2009 as trials in West Africa proved successful, the head of the project said in the Burkina Faso capital Ouagadougou. “The vaccine protects against the most virulent strain [of meningitis] in Africa that causes 85 percent of all damages and this vaccine will address much of the difficulty [of treatment],” said Professor Marc Laforce, head of the Meningitis Vaccine Project (MVP)..." |
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