Region watches for meningitis cases

That's when he started fretting about getting meningitis too.

"My throat felt like a blowtorch was burning a hole right through my eardrums into my brain, then I heard this radio report on a kid dying of meningitis, and I started worrying about a bacterial infection getting into my bloodstream and going into my brain. . .," said Lee in a hoarse voice. "I started being afraid of getting meningitis, too."

A 6-year-old girl from Gardner, Mass., died of meningitis Jan. 2 after a common bacterial infection spread to her bloodstream, according to an Associated Press report. A 52-year-old New Bedford man died of bacterial meningitis on Christmas Eve.

Lee, 51, is on antibiotics and recovering from a bronchial infection -- not meningitis.

But with seven cases of bacterial meningitis surfacing in New Hampshire since early December, seacoast residents are keeping a wary eye out even though most of the cases have occurred in other parts of the Granite State.

State epidemiologist Jesse Greenblatt recently counted seven cases of bacterial meningitis in New Hampshire since early December, most in teenagers, including one 18-year-old in Bennington who died of the disease Dec. 27.

"We don't know how she got it," Greenblatt said. "This is a disease that is present in the entire population, but factors unknown to science cause some people to get it and others don't."

The other six recent cases surfaced in a 16-year-old boy from Gilsum, a 15-year-old boy from East Swansey, an elderly woman in the Portsmouth area (Greenblatt refused to be more specific due to privacy concerns), a 14-year-old boy in the Concord area, a 13-year-old boy in the Colebrook area, and a 65-year-old woman from the Manchester area.

All six meningitis patients are recovering or have recovered, Greenblatt said.

However, two of the meningitis cases (Gilsum and East Swansey) occurred in students at Monadnock Regional High School in Swansey.

State health officials held a clinic at the high school Dec. 26 and gave antibiotics to 1,000 students and staffers at the school, Greenblatt said. They also followed up with a conference call with all the hospitals in the state on Dec. 29. They held a conference on Jan. 2 to warn town and city managers and school superintendents across New Hampshire to be on the lookout for meningitis symptoms and be aware of treatment for the disease.

Greenblatt said, "The [N.H.] Department of Health and Human Services is recommending that people be aware of symptoms of the disease. We are not recommending at this point any antibiotics or vaccination for any other residents of the state [except for Monadnock Regional High School]."

Governor Craig Benson vowed in a statement to make all possible state resources available to monitor the situation.

Meanwhile, schools on the seacoast, , where meningitis has surfaced in recent years, also were staying alert to the problem.

In 2001, an 18-year-old Portsmouth High School student died of meningitis.

In March, 2002, Portsmouth High School sophomore Sarah Barton was diagnosed with bacterial meningitis and meningococcal septicemia, an infection of the bloodstream that causes a telltale rash, according to her mother, Anne Barton.

Thanks to fast action by her doctors, Sarah Barton fully recovered, said her mother.

"Chris had died the year before, so I knew it was serious. . . But there's a lot in-between that could have happened too," Barton said.

But the recent cases prompted Barton to get on the Internet and revisit the issue. "One thing I've learned from this is the more timely [your care], the better your chances are of a full recovery," said Barton. "Timeliness is everything. We were very fortunate."

Meanwhile, Portsmouth school superintendent Lyonel Tracy said school officials are taking nothing for granted and erring on the side of caution.

"In Portsmouth, we're probably overly cautious. We're taking more and more opportunities to learn about meningitis, especially bacterial meningitis, and more vigilant about getting information to parents about symptoms," said Tracy, explaining that school nurses send parents information on the disease via e-mail and printed weekly bulletins. "We're very, very vigilant."

State officials are asking people to be alert to meningitis symptoms, and seek immediate help if they surface, said Greenblatt.

"The symptoms of meningitis include severe headache, stiff neck, fever with a rash usually on the legs, and then any change in consciousness or mental status, meaning a change of behavior, increases in sleepiness, seizures," he said. "We want to alert people that any of those symptoms should prompt a quick call to your health provider."

Bacterial meningitis is an infection of the membranes surrounding the spinal cord and the brain. It is transmitted by direct contact with nasal or respiratory secretions, such as through kissing, sharing a glass, or sharing eating utensils, according to the state website (www.dhhs.state.nh.us). It is not contracted by sharing the same air space or by casual contact. The usual treatment is antibiotics.

Although the state averages about 15 meningitis cases a year, Greenblatt said it is unusual to see so many cases in such a short time.

Except for the meningitis case in the elderly Portsmouth woman in early December, state epidemiologists call the six other recent cases a "cluster" because they are so closely linked in time.

State health officials also said there is no connection between the New Hampshire cases and the recent Massachusetts cases.

(Anyone with questions about meningitis can call the state hot line at 1-866-273-6453 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday, or 1-800-852-3345, ext. 5300 all other hours. Or you can visit the state website at www.dhhs.state.nh.us or the CDC website at www.cdc.gov)