| Stanislaus
County – The Stanislaus County Health Services Agency is announcing
two meningicoccal deaths during the past ten days – an 87-year-old
female and a three-month-old infant. "There does not appear to be any
connection between the two unfortunate deaths”, says Dr. John Walker,
the Public Health Officer for Stanislaus County. “Deaths from meningitis
are rare in this county. This unusual occurrence may be due to the increased
morbidity and mortality in the very young and the elderly.”
Thus far we have had five cases of meningicoccal disease reported in
Stanislaus County for 2006. Local Public Health has made thorough contact
investigations and antibiotic prophylaxis for all five cases. The
five cases do not appear to be related nor have a common source.
The Health Department has enlisted the help of the State Public Health
Laboratory whose testing has shown three different strains of the meningicoccal
bacterium, confirming that the infections do not have a common source.
During the past ten years Stanislaus County has averaged 14 meningicoccal
cases a year, with a range of four to twenty-eight.
We attached information about meningicoccal meningitis. Additional information
is available on our website at www.hsahealth.org.
|
