THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, March 21, 1995 TAG: 9503210278
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A8 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MARIE JOYCE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 65 lines
The bacterium that causes meningococcal disease is a bit of a paradox - a frequent visitor that almost never makes its presence known.
The bacteria pervades the community at times of an outbreak - half the population may be carrying the germ in their noses. But these people rarely get sick from it because, for reasons doctors don't understand, only a few people are susceptible.
There have been 17 cases of meningococcal disease this year in Virginia, about the same number as at this time last year, according to state health officials. Five of the cases were in Hampton Roads, although the other local victims didn't have the strain that afflicted two Norfolk Academy students.
Of the 17 infected statewide, two - Norfolk Academy student D.A. Taylor and a Northern Virginia student - have died. Officials believe both students picked up the illness at a Feb. 11 track meet in Alexandria.
Two of the other people infected locally are students in separate Norfolk public schools, but those cases were different from Norfolk Academy's because there hasn't been more than one student infected at either school, said Norfolk Health Director Valerie Stallings.
Stallings said health officials responded to the public-school cases the same way they did after the first case was reported at Norfolk Academy - by recommending antibiotics for those in close contact with the infected person.
After Taylor became ill 4 1/2 weeks ago, the Health Department recommended that everyone at the track meet, including 28 local people, take antibiotics, primarily to kill off any bacteria they might have been carrying. Norfolk Academy - a private school - was the only local school attending.
When a second Norfolk Academy student was diagnosed Friday afternoon with the same strain of the bacteria, the Norfolk Health Department recommended that all students and staff at Norfolk Academy take the antibiotics.
Today, health workers will visit the school to vaccinate students and staff members. The vaccine, which works against four strains of the bacteria, will protect recipients long after they've stopped taking the antibiotics, said Stallings.
The bacterium is carried in droplets from the nose and throat, so only close contact, like sharing food or kissing, spreads it.
``It's not just because you're in the same elevator with someone,'' said Assistant State Epidemiologist Suzanne Jenkins.
The meningococcal bacteria attack in one of two ways: They can enter the nervous system, causing meningitis - swelling of the tissue surrounding the brain. Or they can enter the bloodstream, causing massive clotting, which may cut off the blood supply to parts of the body. In those cases, the patient may require amputations, as Taylor did.
In the blood-poisoning type, called meningococcemia, the bacteria and the dead tissue release toxins that can overwhelm the body's systems.
The sooner an infected person gets treatment, the greater the chances of survival, said health officials.
The best defense is to be aware of the symptoms and check with a doctor if they suspect they may have the disease, Jenkins said.
``When somebody develops a high fever, there's obviously something wrong,'' Jenkins said. ``It's not your run-of-the-mill cold or allergy. They need to seek medical care.''
For more information, call the Norfolk Health Department at 683-2796, the state Health Department at (804) 786-6261 or your doctor. by CNB