Health district investigates meningitis case

MOSES LAKE — The Grant County Health District has confirmed a case locally of a rare and dangerous form of meningitis typically found in Sub-Saharan Africa, and is looking for other people who may have been exposed. According to a District news release, a single case of Invasive Neisseria Meningitidis, a disease common in parts of Africa from Senegal on the Atlantic coast through to central Ethiopia, that appeared in Grant County in mid-July.

“(The District) is working with community partners to confidentially identify all community members who could have been in ‘close’ contact with the ill individual,” the Health District said in a news release. “This is an isolated case in our county and no deaths or secondary cases have been reported,” the district added.

The health district defines “close” as living with the infected person, having kissed or had face-to-face contact, or used items that have been in contact with the infected person's saliva (cups, glasses, utensils, cigarettes, lipstick, water bottles).

“Only individuals who are “close contacts” are at increased risk. For all others, including those who had casual contact as would occur in most community-related activities, the risk of infection is very low,” the district said.

The district said the infected individual — who has not been named — was at several locations in and around Moses Lake during the last two weeks of July:

• Basket weaving class at Moses Lake Presbyterian Church on Friday, July 20, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Church service Moses at Lake Presbyterian on Sunday, July 22, from 10 a.m. to 11:15 a.m.
• The Mardon Resort restaurant near Potholes State Park on Sunday, July 22, from noon to 3 p.m.
• The Quilting Guild meeting at Moses Lake Lutheran Church on Tuesday, July 24, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
• Moses Lake Christian Church on Nelson Road On Thursday, July 24, from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.

If you believe that you were a close contact according to the definition above and were not contacted directly by the Grant County Health District, call 509-766-7960 to speak with a public health nurse.

According to the health district, meningitis symptoms include sudden onset of fever, chills, headache, neck stiffness, mental status change and rash. The Health District advises anyone experiencing any of those symptoms to seek immediate medical attention at the emergency room and please wear a mask before entering the healthcare facility.

Charles H. Featherstone can be reached via email at countygvt@columbiabasinherald.com