A kindergarten student at Sullivan Elementary School in Surrey has died from meningitis.
Fraser Health sent home a letter with parents on Monday saying public health was informed that a five-year-old girl passed away over the weekend due to bacterial meningitis. They say this is not meningococcal meningitis and that no public health measures need to be taken to prevent illness among anyone at the school.
They do not anticipate there will be any further cases and will keep in close contact with the school health officer to monitor the situation.
“This is a tragic loss for the family and for students and staff at the school,” the letter states.
Dr. Michelle Murti, a medical health officer for Fraser Health, says this child’s illness was a type of bacterial infection called streptococcus pneumoniae, which is not an uncommon type of infection. “We see about 150 cases of pneumococcus infections a year, and it can cause a variety of illnesses. Anything from as serious as meningitis to things like ear infections, or blood infections, so it’s not an uncommon one.”
“Fortunately we see many fewer cases now than we have in the past because of vaccines, but at this time we don’t know, we’re still waiting to hear whether this specific strain of bacteria could have been prevented by a vaccine or not,” adds Murti.
Fraser Health urges anyone at the school or a family member to seek urgent medical attention if they have any signs or symptoms or meningitis.
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“The type of pneumococcus that it is, it’s not the meningococcal meningitis that we more frequently hear about in the news, causing outbreaks amongst schools and children and at this time there is not other further follow-up that we’re doing but obviously we’re staying in very close contact with the school and the parents,” says Murti.
Fraser Health does not know why at this point why this child developed such a severe infection, and were not able to comment on whether the child was vaccinated.
What is meningitis?
Meningitis is an inflammation of the lining around the brain and the spinal cord and is usually caused by infection. Children, teens and young adults are considered to be most at risk, along with older adults and people with long-term health problems.
There are two kinds of meningitis, viral and bacterial. Viral is the most common and usually doesn’t cause a serious illness. Bacterial is not nearly as common but is considered very serious.
In B.C., there are two vaccines that can help protect against meningitis: the Meningococcal C Conjugate (Men-C) Vaccine and the Meningococcal Quadrivalent Vaccine.
Viral meningitis is caused by viruses, while bacterial meningitis is caused by bacteria. Meningitis is contagious and germs can be passed between people by coughing, sneezing and close contact.
The most common symptoms among teens and young adults are:
- A stiff and painful neck, especially when you try to touch your chin to your chest
- Fever
- Headache
- Vomiting
- Trouble staying awake
- Seizures
Health officials say it is very important to see a doctor as soon as possible if you or someone in your home has any of these symptoms.
Any questions, call the Newton Health Unit at 604-592-2000 or Healthlink BC at 811.
– Information from HealthLinkBC
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