| Your
recent article on the tragic death of Shannon San Nicolas from meningococcal
meningitis relayed important information to the community on signs and symptoms
of this sometimes fatal disease. We thank you for helping us at the Stanislaus
County Health Services Agency get this important information out to the
public.
There are ordinarily between 15 – 20 cases of meningococcal meningitis
in Stanislaus County each year. And, tragically, there can be several
deaths each year in Stanislaus County from this dangerous disease. We
are through our peak meningitis season of January and February where we
saw 10 cases in Stanislaus County, and we are now seeing only sporadic
cases.
We would like to correct some information from the story on May 23. The
article stated that county health officials are "alarmed at the high
number of cases" seen this year. We never said that, because we are
seeing a normal number of cases that we ordinarily see in Stanislaus County,
not a higher number. We are concerned about every case of meningitis because
the disease is so serious.
Thank you for the opportunity to clarify this for the public. Meningitis
is a serious disease and information is critical for the public. People
with questions about meningitis can contact their local physician, call
the Stanislaus County Health Services Agency communicable disease nurses
at 558-5678 or visit our web site for meningitis health information and
resources at www.schsa.org.
David T. Jones
Public Information Officer
Stanislaus County Health Services Agency
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