Student Well-Being

Hit With Meningitis, R.I. Tries To Immunize Its Youths

By Jessica Portner — March 18, 1998 2 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Students across Rhode Island rolled up their sleeves last week as the state health department continued its massive inoculation campaign against a potentially deadly bacterial infection that has stricken a dozen youths so far this year.

Three of the Rhode Island youths who contracted meningigococcal meningitis this year have died. And 24 people in the state, which has a population of 997,000, fell ill with the disease last year--a 300 percent increase from 1994, when seven cases were reported.

State health officials are at a loss to explain what has triggered the sharp rise in cases of the rare, deadly bacterial infection. Because the occurrences have been unrelated, they cannot be deemed an outbreak.

“Everyone in the school was scared they’d catch something by being in the building,” said Jon Peters, a senior at Woonsocket High School in Woonsocket, where a 4th grader died.

To help dispel such fears and quell the spread of the infection, the state late last month began inoculating every 2- to 22-year-old resident, the hardest-hit age group. The health department has enlisted schools and community health centers in its plan to inoculate 250,000 young people over the next six months. The shots will cost the state $7 million.

“Meningitis is a serious disease, and it does kill, even though most people can be treated and recover just fine,” Robert J. Marshall, the assistant director of the state health department, said. “And people are responding to that.”

Since Feb. 28, when the state launched the offensive, 41,000 young people have been given the shots.

No Sharing

“It’s been a massive undertaking,” said John Deasy, the superintendent of the Coventry public schools, which last week began immunizing all the district’s 6,000 students and 3,000 young adults in after-school clinics.

The schools have also been the main venue for educating parents and students about transmission and treatment of the disease.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta describes meningitis as an infection of the spinal fluid surrounding the brain that is most often transmitted through saliva.

There are both viral and bacterial strains. Viral meningitis is generally less severe, while bacterial meningitis is more rare and can cause brain damage, hearing loss, and death. Common symptoms include high fever, headaches, nausea, and stiff necks. If diagnosed early, bacterial meningitis can be successfully treated with antibiotics.

Like his colleagues across the state, Superintendent Deasy advised his students and staff members not to share water bottles, soda cans, or cigarettes. The Coventry district has also intensified its cleaning activities. Custodians are now scrubbing the sinks and water fountains 12 times a day instead of four, Mr. Deasy said, “just to make sure.”

Related Tags:

Events

Ed-Tech Policy Webinar Artificial Intelligence in Practice: Building a Roadmap for AI Use in Schools
AI in education: game-changer or classroom chaos? Join our webinar & learn how to navigate this evolving tech responsibly.
Education Webinar Developing and Executing Impactful Research Campaigns to Fuel Your Ed Marketing Strategy 
Develop impactful research campaigns to fuel your marketing. Join the EdWeek Research Center for a webinar with actionable take-aways for companies who sell to K-12 districts.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Privacy & Security Webinar
Navigating Cybersecurity: Securing District Documents and Data
Learn how K-12 districts are addressing the challenges of maintaining a secure tech environment, managing documents and data, automating critical processes, and doing it all with limited resources.
Content provided by Softdocs

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Student Well-Being Opinion 4 Steps Students Can Take to Help Make Tough Decisions
When students feel stuck, they can harness the power of the nonconscious mind to help them move forward.
Kennon Sheldon
2 min read
Images shows a stylized artistic landscape with soothing colors.
Getty
Student Well-Being From Our Research Center Students Think Social Media Is Fine, But Teachers See a Mental Health Minefield
It's important for adults to recognize and understand teens’ perspectives in order to teach healthy social media habits.
8 min read
Custom illustration showing a young female student floating above a cell phone while in a protective bubble that looks like a split happy and sad emoji. Digital and techie textures applied to the background.
Taylor Callery for Education Week
Student Well-Being Q&A 'It Terrifies Me': Clinical Psychologist on Tech Overuse in the Age of AI
Lisa Strohman has dedicated her career to connecting the dots between tech overuse/misuse and mental health problems.
4 min read
Custom illustration showing a young female student wearing a book bag and standing inside a protective bubble that looks like a split happy and sad emoji.
Taylor Callery for Education Week
Student Well-Being From Our Research Center Social Media Is Hurting Social-Emotional Skills. How 4 School Districts Are Fighting Back
A majority of educators believe social media negatively impacts students’ social-emotional skills, an EdWeek Research Center survey found.
7 min read
As part of a SEL lesson, 6th grade students at Swope Middle School in Reno, Nev., practice online safety measures.
As part of a social-emotional-learning lesson, 6th graders practice online safety measures at Swope Middle School in Reno, Nev., on March 19, 2024.
Emily Najera for Education Week