Michigan Meningitis Deaths Not Signs of Epidemic
Oct. 11, 2000 -- Three children in the Detroit area have died recently of bacterial meningitis -- an inflammation of the membranes around the brain and spinal cord -- and some students in the community are alarmed enough to skip school and worry about school food services as a transmission site.
Meningitis can send shockwaves through a community affected by it and raise the concerns of parents and adults nationwide over its potentially deadly outcome. But a little bit of knowledge can often help dispel some of the fears associated with the illness. For instance, in Michigan, experts say these deaths seem to be a tragic coincidence and that the community should exercise only the usual precautions, such as frequent hand washing.
"Our investigation determined that there was no connection between these fatal cases. There was additional DNA testing done by the Michigan Department of Community Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention," says Kevin Lockar, MD, MPH. "They were all different types of pneumococcal bacteria." The deaths, involving three children under 12 years of age, "were an unfortunate random occurrence," says Lockar, the medical director of the Macomb County Health Department, the county in which the deaths occurred.
"We absolutely do not have an outbreak or epidemic or even a cluster," Geralyn Lasher, spokeswoman for the Michigan Department of Community Health, tells WebMD. "Anytime a situation involves young children, it raises concern. However, the public should know that bacterial meningitis is relatively common. We've had 145 cases reported in Michigan this year. Numbers for this year are consistent with the past few years. The fact that these fatal cases occurred in the most populous area of the state is not unique."
Should you be concerned for yourself or your children? How contagious is meningitis; how severely ill do people get? How can you protect yourself and your family against infection?
It's important to know that meningitis is not as contagious as colds or influenza, which travel widely on droplets following a cough or sneeze. For meningitis, the route of transmission is close and more direct. You need to have immediate contact with the droplets. The infected person needs to cough or sneeze directly in your face, or you need to share a drinking glass, athletic water bottle, or dinner utensil with the person. Kissing would be another example of the direct, close contact typically involved in meningitis transmission.
Michigan Meningitis Deaths Not Signs of Epidemic
Oct. 11, 2000 -- Three children in the Detroit area have died recently of bacterial meningitis -- an inflammation of the membranes around the brain and spinal cord -- and some students in the community are alarmed enough to skip school and worry about school food services as a transmission site.
Meningitis can send shockwaves through a community affected by it and raise the concerns of parents and adults nationwide over its potentially deadly outcome. But a little bit of knowledge can often help dispel some of the fears associated with the illness. For instance, in Michigan, experts say these deaths seem to be a tragic coincidence and that the community should exercise only the usual precautions, such as frequent hand washing.
"Our investigation determined that there was no connection between these fatal cases. There was additional DNA testing done by the Michigan Department of Community Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention," says Kevin Lockar, MD, MPH. "They were all different types of pneumococcal bacteria." The deaths, involving three children under 12 years of age, "were an unfortunate random occurrence," says Lockar, the medical director of the Macomb County Health Department, the county in which the deaths occurred.
"We absolutely do not have an outbreak or epidemic or even a cluster," Geralyn Lasher, spokeswoman for the Michigan Department of Community Health, tells WebMD. "Anytime a situation involves young children, it raises concern. However, the public should know that bacterial meningitis is relatively common. We've had 145 cases reported in Michigan this year. Numbers for this year are consistent with the past few years. The fact that these fatal cases occurred in the most populous area of the state is not unique."
Should you be concerned for yourself or your children? How contagious is meningitis; how severely ill do people get? How can you protect yourself and your family against infection?
It's important to know that meningitis is not as contagious as colds or influenza, which travel widely on droplets following a cough or sneeze. For meningitis, the route of transmission is close and more direct. You need to have immediate contact with the droplets. The infected person needs to cough or sneeze directly in your face, or you need to share a drinking glass, athletic water bottle, or dinner utensil with the person. Kissing would be another example of the direct, close contact typically involved in meningitis transmission.