St. Charles Parish did have viral meningitis cases related to a recent outbreak in the area, but a state official said an investigation determined the public was not at risk.
“There have been cases in St. Charles Parish this summer, but our investigation of those cases did not show any relationship with each other to suggest there was another cluster or a St. Charles Parish focus,” said Dr. Chip Riggins, Region 3 medical director with the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals (DHH).
Riggins referred to a cluster of related cases or an outbreak, which was documented with 34 cases reported in DHH’s Region 3, which includes the parish along with Lafourche, Terrebonne, St. John, St. James, Assumption and St. Mary parishes. He could not specify how many of the outbreak cases occurred in the parish because of HIPAA (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act).
‘It’s a large outbreak, but the severity of it has been mild and hospitals are taking precautions,” he said. “It’s starting to slow down, but I don’t think we’ve seen the end of it. We’ll continue to see sporadic cases.”
The first person diagnosed with viral meningitis in the Region 3 outbreak was reported on May 6. DHH says it wasn’t notified about the outbreak until June 22 even though state law requires physicians notify public health officials of any suspected cases of viral meningitis within one business day. From May 6 to date, the cases grew to 34, although no new cases have been reported in the last three weeks.
Angered by an apparent delay or failure to report a communicable disease, Dr. Raoult Ratard, state epidemiologist with the Louisiana Office of Public Health, contacted doctors and hospital officials by letter June 30.
At least seven of the outbreak cases involved children who attended the Houma YMCA’s “splash camp.But DHH says the YMCA released this information and it worked closely with the group to contain the outbreak.
Riggins said the peak of the outbreak occurred in late June and no one facility had the majority of cases.
“If there was a need to identify an area, we would do it, but these sporadic cases don’t have anything in common so there’s no reason to notify people about a common source,” he said. “We’d only do that if there was an ongoing exposure in a common place.”
Riggins said they expect sporadic cases reported yearly and even a cluster of cases in the summer, but the cases reported this year were more significant than in the past.
The last viral meningitis outbreak reported in Louisiana occurred in 2001 with 27 cases in Region 9 (Northshore area), he said. They were reported in a one-month period.Riggins said the best prevention is frequent hand washing and use of disinfectants.
Viral meningitis is inflammation of the tissue covering the brain and spinal cord that is accompanied by flu-like symptoms, including fever, stiff neck, chills and lack of energy.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, viral meningitis is the most common type of meningitis and most people usually get better on their own without treatment. It differs from bacterial meningitis, a more severe illness that requires immediate medical care to avoid brain damage or death.
Infants and people with weak immune systems may be more likely to have a severe illness if they contract viral meningitis.
Dr. Ratard said people with high fevers, severe headaches and symptoms that appear more serious than a common cold may want to visit a doctor.
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