thedrifter
01-16-05, 09:53 AM
Parris Island recruit diagnosed with meningitis
Published Fri, Jan 14, 2005
By MICHAEL KERR
Gazette staff writer
A Parris Island recruit was diagnosed Monday with bacterial meningitis, a contagious disease that can lead to seizures, brain damage and death if left untreated.
The unidentified male recruit, expected to make a full recovery, was taken to Naval Hospital Beaufort after showing symptoms of the disease during a routine sick call Monday morning, according to a Parris Island release.
"I can comment that he is in stable condition," said Patricia Binns, spokeswoman for the Naval hospital, where the recruit is recovering.
Meningitis is an infection of the fluid of the spinal cord and the fluid that surrounds the brain.
Bacterial meningitis is considered more severe than viral meningitis, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site.
Bacterial meningitis is spread through direct respiratory contact with an infected person. Symptoms include discomfort in the neck or upper back, fever, headaches, confusion, sleepiness, sensitivity to light, vomiting or nausea, and in extreme cases, can include seizures, neurological defects and death.
Symptoms can develop over several hours or may take one to two days, according to the CDC.
Because up to 25 percent of the population can carry meningitis without ever showing signs of the disease, it's hard to pinpoint how or when the recruit contracted it, said Maj. Ken White, Parris Island's public affairs officer.
"Occasionally you'll have a person who contracts the active infection from someone who's a carrier," he said. "You just don't know."
About 140 people, including training and medical staff and fellow recruits who had been in close contact with the infected recruit, were administered antibiotics as a precaution, White said.
The infected recruit, who had been at the depot for a little less than two weeks, exhibited many of the classic symptoms, he said.
He is expected to return to training once he recovers, although there is no timeline yet, he said.
All recruits receive inoculations against certain strains of meningitis upon arrival at Parris Island, but that vaccine doesn't prevent against all strains of the disease, according to the depot release.
Drill instructors check if any recruits need medical attention every morning, White said. The drill instructors are instructed by Navy medical personnel on signs to look for to identify possible infectious disease cases, he said.
Contact Michael Kerr at 986-5539 or mkerr@beaufortgazette.com.
The Drifter's Wife
Ellie
Published Fri, Jan 14, 2005
By MICHAEL KERR
Gazette staff writer
A Parris Island recruit was diagnosed Monday with bacterial meningitis, a contagious disease that can lead to seizures, brain damage and death if left untreated.
The unidentified male recruit, expected to make a full recovery, was taken to Naval Hospital Beaufort after showing symptoms of the disease during a routine sick call Monday morning, according to a Parris Island release.
"I can comment that he is in stable condition," said Patricia Binns, spokeswoman for the Naval hospital, where the recruit is recovering.
Meningitis is an infection of the fluid of the spinal cord and the fluid that surrounds the brain.
Bacterial meningitis is considered more severe than viral meningitis, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site.
Bacterial meningitis is spread through direct respiratory contact with an infected person. Symptoms include discomfort in the neck or upper back, fever, headaches, confusion, sleepiness, sensitivity to light, vomiting or nausea, and in extreme cases, can include seizures, neurological defects and death.
Symptoms can develop over several hours or may take one to two days, according to the CDC.
Because up to 25 percent of the population can carry meningitis without ever showing signs of the disease, it's hard to pinpoint how or when the recruit contracted it, said Maj. Ken White, Parris Island's public affairs officer.
"Occasionally you'll have a person who contracts the active infection from someone who's a carrier," he said. "You just don't know."
About 140 people, including training and medical staff and fellow recruits who had been in close contact with the infected recruit, were administered antibiotics as a precaution, White said.
The infected recruit, who had been at the depot for a little less than two weeks, exhibited many of the classic symptoms, he said.
He is expected to return to training once he recovers, although there is no timeline yet, he said.
All recruits receive inoculations against certain strains of meningitis upon arrival at Parris Island, but that vaccine doesn't prevent against all strains of the disease, according to the depot release.
Drill instructors check if any recruits need medical attention every morning, White said. The drill instructors are instructed by Navy medical personnel on signs to look for to identify possible infectious disease cases, he said.
Contact Michael Kerr at 986-5539 or mkerr@beaufortgazette.com.
The Drifter's Wife
Ellie