
DATE: Wednesday, October 8, 1997            TAG: 9710080489

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY DENISE WATSON AND MARIE JOYCE, STAFF WRITERS 

DATELINE: NORFOLK                           LENGTH:   64 lines

POTENTIALLY DEADLY BUG HITS LAKE TAYLOR SENIOR

A 19-year-old Lake Taylor High School senior was hospitalized this weekend with meningococcemia, a potentially deadly bacterial infection.

The male student, who was not identified, is the only reported case, but all Lake Taylor students received letters from the school Tuesday about the infection, its symptoms and how it can be transmitted.

The family asked Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters not to release any information about the student's condition.

Health and school officials don't consider the case an outbreak. The meningococcal bacterium that causes the infection is spread only through prolonged, direct contact, such as sharing drinks, kissing or coughing directly into someone's face. It can't be picked up from desks or books. In addition, the student is in a special education class that has only about a dozen students.

``By virtue of the special education class, he has had contact with a limited number of students,'' said George Raiss, the school district's spokesman.

The student was admitted to the hospital Saturday, and his classmates were notified by the Norfolk Health Department the next day. Health department officials briefed the school's staff Monday.

The bacterium is very common, living in the noses and throats of up to half the population. Experts aren't sure why a few people get sick from the bacterium while most do not.

``Very few people actually go on to illness,'' said Dr. Valerie Stallings, Norfolk health director.

Meningococcal bacteria attack in one of two ways: They can enter the nervous system, causing meningitis - swelling of the tissue surrounding the brain. Or, as in the case of the Lake Taylor student, they can enter the bloodstream, causing meningococcemia, a blood infection.

It is not particularly unusual that meningococcal infection should crop up in South Hampton Roads. A few local occurrences are reported every year.

``At this point, it looks like a sporadic case,'' Stallings said.

Through September, two other cases had been reported in Norfolk this year and four elsewhere in South Hampton Roads, according to the state health department.

In 1996, the infection struck one person in Norfolk and eight in other South Hampton Roads cities.

People who have been exposed to the sick student should watch for early symptoms, which typically include sudden high fever, headache, stiff neck, vomiting and sometimes a reddish-purple rash. All those known to have had close contact with the student have been notified by health officials, Stallings said, and are taking a round of treatment with the antibiotic rifampin. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic

Q&A

How is the meningococcal bacterium spread?

It is spread through direct contact with respiratory secretions.

The bacteria die quickly on environmental surfaces, like tables and

clothing.

The carrier doesn't have to be someone who is actually sick.

What are the symptoms?

Sudden-onset fever, headache, stiff neck, nausea and vomiting,

and confusion. For the blood-poisoning form, symptoms may include

fever, chills and muscle aches. Both types can cause a rash.