11 students contract suspected viral meningitis after returning from trip to Dominican Republic

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http://www.bclocalnews.com/news/90972119.html

Kids sick after grad trip to DR

Fraser Health has issued a health notice to parents after nine Coquitlam high school students returning from a grad trip to the Dominican Republic got sick from what doctors’ say is likely viral meningitis.
TRI-CITY NEWS FILE PHOTO



Text By Diane Strandberg - The Tri-City News


Published: April 15, 2010 1:00 PM
Updated: April 15, 2010 1:44 PM

0 Comments Fraser Health has issued a health notice to parents after nine Coquitlam high school students returning from a grad trip to the Dominican Republic got sick from what doctors’ say is likely viral meningitis.

Two more high school students who didn’t go on the spring break trip have also developed similar signs and symptoms and are being assessed.

Medical health officer Larry Gustafson is reminding parents and students of the importance of avoiding activities that could result in the spread of the virus, such as kissing, sharing food, drinks, water bottles and anything else with saliva on it.

As well, Gustafson is recommending precautions used to prevent the spread of influenza — such as thorough hand-washing, coughing and sneezing into a tissue and staying home if sick.

“This would seem to be a common virus that spreads from person to person,” said Gustafson.

Approximately 200 students went on the trip, about 130 from Coquitlam. It was not organized by School District 43 but a spokesperson said the district is posting a health notice for Fraser Health on its website (www.sd43.bc.ca) to get the word out about health precautions.

Bacterial meningitis has been ruled out and Gustafson said he is not recommending preventative antibiotics or vaccines for fellow travellers or close contacts of students who are ill.

But anybody with symptoms of infection should contact a physician immediately or HealthLink BC 8-1-1 which is available 24 hours a day.

Symptoms include a headache, a stiff neck, nausea, rash and a fever.

With rest, fluid and medicine to relieve fever, most people recover on their own in seven to 10 days, Gustafson said.

dstrandberg@tricitynews.com

 

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Re: 11 students contract suspected viral meningitis after returning from trip to Dominican Republic

http://www.vancouversun.com/health/...suspected+viral+meningitis/2911990/story.html

Vancouver suburb sees 11 cases of suspected viral meningitis
By Jennifer McFee, Coquitlam NOWApril 15, 2010Comments (2)
METRO VANCOUVER -- Viral meningitis is the likely cause of a sickness that has spread to 11 students in the past two weeks.


A Coquitlam secondary school student was sent to hospital with meningitis symptoms after returning April 2 from a spring break trip to the Dominican Republic. Tests for bacterial meningitis came back negative, but viral meningitis is suspected to be the cause.


Since then, 10 more students have reported symptoms like fever, headache, nausea, vomiting and a stiff or sore neck. All of these students were either part of the trip or in close contact with the travellers.


About 150 Grade 11 and 12 students plus chaperones from Coquitlam and Richmond travelled to the Dominican Republic on the holiday, which was not a school-sanctioned event. School district spokesperson Cheryl Quinton confirmed that the local students attend Dr. Charles Best and Centennial secondaries.


Fraser Health spokesperson Roy Thorpe said tests on several students have not returned positive results for bacterial meningitis, which can be very serious. "So the diagnosis at this point is viral meningitis," Thorpe said.


"There are still tests being done to determine exactly what virus." According to public health officials, viral and bacterial infections spread easily by sharing saliva through kissing as well as by sharing food, drinks, cigarettes or joints, lipstick, water bottles, sports mouth guards, mouthpieces for musical instruments and toothbrushes.


Health officials are not recommending preventative antibiotics or vaccines for fellow travellers or close contacts of the sick students. However, they suggest people wash their hands often, cough or sneeze into their arm or sleeve and stay home if they're sick.


Anyone with symptoms of meningitis should contact a doctor immediately or call HealthLink BC at 811. For those afflicted, doctors recommend bed rest, plenty of fluids and medicine to reduce fever and headache.

? Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun

 

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Re: 11 students contract suspected viral meningitis after returning from trip to Dominican Republic

http://www2.canada.com/coquitlamnow/news/story.html?id=7685d909-bb5f-4464-9289-924d6234ab74

Student illness triggers advisory
Jennifer McFee, Coquitlam NOW
Published: Tuesday, April 13, 2010
School District 43 is asking sick kids to stay home after a Coquitlam secondary student was taken to hospital for a possible case of meningitis.

After returning April 2 from a graduation trip to the Dominican Republic, the high school student showed symptoms of meningitis, an inflammation of the lining of the brain often caused by viruses or bacteria. The student is recovering after treatment and medical observation.

School district spokesperson Cheryl Quinton said more than 200 students from five schools took part in the grad trip, which was run by a private operator and was not a school-sanctioned event.


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Font:****"All the people impacted on the trip would have been contacted by public health," she said. As a precaution, the school district posted a note on its website to alert families about the possible outbreak.
"It's not definitive yet because testing takes quite a few days, so we're just awaiting results. This is just a precautionary measure to put the notice out and let people know that this has occurred."

According to the notice, public health officials occasionally advise close contacts to take antibiotics or vaccines if meningococcal or other specific bacteria trigger the illness. However, these bacteria aren't believed to be the cause in this case. Other students on the grad trip also reported symptoms like fever, headache and stiff neck, resulting in some hospital visits.

The notice states these students are recovering. Anyone with signs or symptoms of meningitis should contact a doctor immediately or call HealthLink BC at 811.

"If you're feeling ill at all, don't go to school," Quinton added.

 

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Re: 11 students contract suspected viral meningitis after returning from trip to Dominican Republic

http://www.sd43.bc.ca/Announcements...Meningitis-StudentTravelGroup_15April2010.pdf

Viral meningitis reported among student travel group
Public Health was informed April 8 that a student who returned April 2 from a Spring Break trip to the
Dominican Republic was admitted to hospital with signs and symptoms that could be due to viral
meningitis.
Since then, a total of 11 students have reported symptoms, including fever, headache and sore or stiff
neck. All of the students were either part of the travel group or in close contact with students who were
on the trip. All of the students are recovering.
The trip was not a school-sanctioned event. It was organized by a group of Grade 11 and 12 students on
their own. Approximately 150 students and chaperones from Coquitlam and Richmond were on the trip.
There is no increased risk to the general public. All tests for bacterial meningitis, a more serious type of
meningitis, have come back negative. The likely cause of the illness is viral meningitis.
Public Health is not recommending preventive antibiotics or vaccines for fellow travelers or for other
close contacts of the students who have been ill.
Most patients with viral meningitis completely recover on their own within two weeks. Symptoms include
fever, headache, nausea, vomiting and a stiff neck.
If you or anyone in your family has signs or symptoms of any infection that is of concern to you, you
should contact your doctor immediately, or call HealthLink BC at 8-1-1 any time of the day or night.
Antibiotics do not help viral infections, so they are not useful in the treatment of viral meningitis. Doctors
often will recommend bed rest, plenty of fluids, and medicine to relieve fever and headache.
Bacterial meningitis can be very serious. Often, the symptoms of viral meningitis and bacterial meningitis
are the same. For this reason, treatment may cover possible bacterial infection as a precaution until the
diagnosis is clear.
Preventing the spread of viruses
Viral infections are spread easily by sharing of saliva (spit). The most common ways saliva is shared
include kissing, sharing food, drinks, cigarettes or joints, lipsticks, water bottles, mouth guards used for
sports, mouthpieces of musical instruments, toothbrushes, or anything else with saliva on it.
To prevent the spread of viruses, avoid sharing saliva, wash your hands often, cough or sneeze into your
arm or sleeve and wash hands afterwards, and stay home if you are sick

 

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Re: 11 students contract suspected viral meningitis after returning from trip to Dominican Republic

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-co...6/bc-viral-meningitis-coquitlam-richmond.html

B.C. meningitis outbreak likely not lethal
Last Updated: Saturday, April 17, 2010 | 10:06 AM PT Comments3Recommend3CBC News
One Coquitlam high school student spent a brief time in hospital for treatment of viral menegitis. (CBC)
The Fraser Health Authority says tests show an outbreak of meningitis among Coquitlam and Richmond students is viral and not the more serious bacterial variety of the illness.

Eleven students so far have shown symptoms of the illness after about 200 students and chaperones went on a spring break trip to the Dominican Republic.

"This group of students arrived back from their trip on April 2nd," said Coquitlam School Board communications director Cheryl Quinton.

"Shortly after that, one of the students became ill and went to hospital with symptoms of a headache, stiff neck, and nausea."

The outbreak appears to be caused by a common and generally non-lethal virus and all the students should be fully recovered within 10 days, a health authority spokesman said Friday.

Caution urged
But students and their families are still urged to be cautious.

"Our advice to the students and their close contacts is not to share saliva through spitting or through sharing drinking materials, and also to wash hands," said public affairs director David Plug.

Meningitis causes a swelling of brain or spinal cord tissue that can sometimes be fatal.

There are as many as 50 cases of bacterial meningitis reported annually in B.C., resulting in an average of three deaths a year.


Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-co...ingitis-coquitlam-richmond.html#ixzz0lOUMpwoS

 

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Re: 13 students contract viral meningitis after returning from trip to Dominican Republic - enterovirus confirmed

Re: 13 students contract viral meningitis after returning from trip to Dominican Republic - enterovirus confirmed

http://www.sd43.bc.ca/Announcements/Attachments/35/April 19 Update School Trip.pdf

19 April 2010
PUBLIC HEALTH UPDATE #2 regarding Student illness following a trip to
the Dominican Republic
One new student case of viral meningitis has been reported since April 13th. This
student is doing well in hospital and will be observed there for two days or so. In total,
13 students have reported illness. All of the 13 students have most likely been infected
by the same virus, but not all have had signs and symptoms of meningitis.
The virus that is causing illness in some of the students that were on the trip and some
of their contacts has been identified as an enterovirus. Enteroviruses are common
viruses that can be spread by droplets from the mouth and nose, in bowel movements
(stools) and by hands. They usually cause illness in the summer months. Illness is
usually mild, with fever, often headache and other ?flu-like? symptoms. Most people
recover on their own in 7 to 10 days. However, as we have seen in this situation,
enteroviruses can sometimes cause more serious illness. They are the most common
cause of viral meningitis. Even with viral meningitis, recovery is usually fairly quick, but
more serious complications can sometimes happen.
The public health message remains the same. Unfortunately, enterovirus infections
cannot be prevented by antibiotics or vaccines.
The best ways to prevent spread of infection are:
? Wash your hands often, using soap and water. It is very important to wash
your hands after using the toilet and before preparing or eating food;
? If you cannot wash your hands with soap and water, use an alcohol-based
hand rub to clean you hands;
? Avoid sharing saliva (The most common ways saliva is shared include kissing,
sharing food, drinks, cigarettes or joints, lipsticks, water bottles, mouth guards
used for sports, mouthpieces of musical instruments, toothbrushes, or anything
else with saliva on it.);
? Cough or sneeze into your arm or sleeve; and
? Stay home if you are sick.
The school district has assigned extra cleaning staff to disinfect common touch-points
and surfaces at the school most impacted.
As always, if you or anyone in your family has signs or symptoms of any infection that is
of concern to you, you should contact a physician immediately or call HealthLink BC at
8-1-1 any time of the day or night.

 

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Re: 13 students contract viral meningitis after returning from trip to Dominican Republic - enterovirus confirmed

Re: 13 students contract viral meningitis after returning from trip to Dominican Republic - enterovirus confirmed

http://www.bclocalnews.com/richmond_southdelta/richmondreview/news/91939964.html

Dominican trip leads to viral meningitis outbreak

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Published: April 23, 2010 1:00 PM
Updated: April 23, 2010 1:53 PM

0 Comments Some Richmond students and chaperones were part of a spring break trip to the Dominican Republic earlier this month, after which some individuals came down with viral meningitis.

Roy Thorpe, spokesperson for the Fraser Health Authority, told The Richmond Review Friday that the majority of the group of Grade 11 and 12 students was from Coquitlam.

The trip wasn?t organized by a school, but by students on their own, Thorpe noted.

Some of the students who became ill required hospitalization, but all are now either recovered or well on their way there.

The illness was determined to have been caused by enteroviruses, a common virus spread via droplets from the mouth and nose, in bowel movements and by hand.

Although the illness is usually mild, featuring fever and headache, in some cases the virus can cause more serious illness. Health authorities were alerted after one student was admitted to hospital.

Since that time, 13 students in the 150-strong group have reported symptoms including fever, headache, and a sore or stiff neck.

All of the affected students either went on the trip, or had contact with students who were on the trip.

All tests for bacterial meningitis, the more dangerous type of the illness, came back negative.

As neither antibiotics nor vaccines prevent enteroviruses, doctors often recommend bed rest, plenty of fluids and medicine to relieve fever and headaches.

 

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Re: 11 students contract suspected viral meningitis after returning from trip to Dominican Republic

http://promedmail.org/pls/apex/f?p=..._BACK_PAGE,F2400_P1001_PUB_MAIL_ID:1000,82730

Archive Number 20100515.1595
Published Date 15-MAY-2010
Subject PRO/EDR> Enteroviral meningitis - Canada: (BC) ex Dominican Republic


ENTEROVIRAL MENINGITIS - CANADA: (BRITISH COLUMBIA) ex DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
*************************************************************************
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>

Date: Fri 14 May 2010
From: David Patrick
<david.patrick@bccdc.ca>


Outbreak of enteroviral meningitis among high school students in
British Columbia ex Dominican Republic
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On Sat 8 Apr 2010, a high school student from the lower mainland of
British Columbia was hospitalized with signs and symptoms consistent
with meningitis after returning from a student trip to the Dominican
Republic. The trip was organized through a social networking site.
Approximately 200 Grade 11 and 12 students departed Vancouver on 25
Mar 2010 and returned on 2 Apr 2010. Students were predominantly from
high schools in the Vancouver region, although some participants were
from schools in Ontario and Quebec.

In total, 23 students were reported as having presented to physician
offices or emergency rooms between 6 Apr and 25 Apr 2010 with
symptoms including fever, headache, nausea, vomiting and sore neck. 5
were hospitalized for a period of 2 to 10 days. Severity of symptoms
varied substantially, but all students recovered. We undertook an
aggressive laboratory search for the etiology given the serious
illness being seen in the affected students and the continued spread
to non-traveler contacts. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was obtained from
3 patients and tested for bacterial and viral agents of meningitis.
All culture and PCR tests for bacterial meningitis and herpes simplex
virus were negative. CSF samples were positive for enterovirus by
RT-PCR in 2 of the 3 cases. A stool sample from one of the cases was
also positive for enterovirus by RT-PCR.

Cases were 14 to 18 years old and most were males from the same high
school. 7 cases presenting from 6 to 13 Apr 2010 had participated in
the trip to the Dominican Republic. These included 2 hospitalized
cases, one of whom was positive for enterovirus in CSF and stool
samples. 16 cases who had not participated in the trip were reported
from 13 to 25 Apr 2010. Investigation of exposures revealed that
these were close contacts or schoolmates of cases who had travelled.

In particular, 8 cases were members of a sports team who attended a
game together on 10 Apr 2010. Among these, one case had travelled to
the Dominican Republic and reported sharing drinks with a team member
who subsequently was admitted to hospital and tested positive for
enterovirus in a CSF sample. 6 others were likely secondary or
tertiary transmissions within this group, and the remaining case was
reported at another game one week later.

Although not all students presenting with illness were found to have
symptoms of meningitis, they all had symptoms consistent with
enterovirus infection. Initially, a notice recommending ill students
to seek medical attention was sent to trip participants through the
social networking site. Prevention messages recommending
hand-washing, respiratory etiquette, avoiding contact with saliva and
staying home when ill were distributed to school districts and health
authorities on 9, 13 and 19 Apr 2010. At the school where most cases
attended, disinfection of commonly touched surfaces began on 19 Apr 2010.

This outbreak of meningitis generated considerable anxiety among the
trip participants and their parents particularly when the etiology
was unknown and early cases were treated empirically with
antibiotics. It highlights the need to be vigilant for clusters of
illness in travelers and the need to search for viral and other
causes of infection that may be endemic or circulating in the country
visited, as well as local pathogens.

[Byline: Claudia Rank, BC Centre for Disease Control
Dr. Larry Gustafson, Fraser Health Authority
Dr. Bonnie Henry, BC Centre for Disease Control
Dr. Patrick Tang, BC Centre for Disease Control
Dr. David Patrick, BC Centre for Disease Control]

--
David Patrick, MD, FRCPC, MHSc
Director, Epidemiology Services
BC Centre for Disease Control and
Professor, School of Population and Public Health
University of British Columbia
655 West 12 Ave
Vancouver, BC V5Z 4R4 Canada
<david.patrick@bccdc.ca>

[Meningitis is caused predominantly by microorganisms (bacteria,
viruses, parasites, and fungi). These microorganisms infect the blood
and the cerebrospinal fluid. Viral meningitis is generally less
severe and resolves without specific treatment. Viral meningitis
(also called aseptic meningitis) is an infection that causes
inflammation of the layers (meninges) that surround the brain and
spinal cord. Many different viruses can cause meningitis; the most
common are the enteroviruses. These viruses are present in the
intestines and can cause colds, sore throats, stomach upsets and
diarrhoea. Only rarely do these viruses spread through the body to
the meninges causing meningitis.

Enteroviruses are most often spread from person to person through
fecal contamination, and through respiratory secretions (saliva,
sputum, or nasal mucus) of an infected person. When an enterovirus
causing meningitis is identified, it is usually either a
coxsackievirus or an echovirus.

Individuals and parties visiting countries with less well-developed
economies and variable standards of personal and community hygiene
are likely to expose themselves to common enteric viruses to which
they have little preexisting immunity. This is evident in the party
of children from Canada visiting the Dominical Republic and spreading
infection in their home country on their return. Fortunately
enteroviral meningitis is a mild condition generally without serious outcomes.

ProMED-mail is indebted to Professor David Patrick for providing this
detailed account of the analysis of this outbreak. It would be useful
to know the precise identity (species of enterovirus) responsible for
this outbreak, if this information becomes available in due course.

The HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map of Canada is available at
<http://healthmap.org/r/007x >, and that of the Dominican Republic at
<http://healthmap.org/r/ 00NY>. - Mod.CP]