Child OK after meningitis scare

2003-08-16 18:13

Roodepoort - Tests conducted on a seven-year-old Florida pupil suspected of having meningococcal meningitis, proved to be negative, the clinic said on Saturday.

Paediatrician Dr Tami Tshigabe said the child, who suffered from similar symptoms as patients with meningitis, had severe sinusitis.

"The child does not have meningitis. She has a sinus infection and was brought in with symptoms of fever and headaches. We took the necessary precaution as she is from the same school as the boy who died from the virus."

Tshigabe said the child would be discharged by Sunday.

On Friday, 11-year-old Tertius Maritz from the same school on the West Rand died from the virus after being admitted to hospital on Wednesday.

'Don't panic'

Gauteng health department spokesman Johann van den Heever told the public not to panic.

"There is no reason to panic, we are in the height of the meningitis season.

"There is an increased awareness because of reports in the media, but the incidence is no higher than what it was last year," he said

Thebe Mohatle, a spokesperson for the Gauteng education department, said emergency medical services in the area had been dispatched to the school to administer prophylactics to pupils who had come in close contact with the boy.

"We are asking parents in the area to be alert and to consult their doctors to get an understanding of the nature of the illness so as to prevent its spread."

Meningococcal meningitis, a highly infectious disease, is a form of acute bacterial meningitis found all over the world.

It can be transmitted when people come in close contact with each other, by oral secretions.

The symptoms include a stiff neck, severe headaches and a high fever.

In South Africa there are sporadic cases throughout the year and the current increase is a seasonal one.

- SAPA