Newark To Check Students After First-Grader Dies Of Suspected Bacterial Meningitis
NEWARK, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A first-grader in Newark who died of suspected bacterial meningitis was in school at a time when she could have infected others, officials said.
Mayor Ras Baraka said the student attended classes at the Oliver Street School when the child was at the height of infection. Those most at-risk are students who were in the same classroom as the student, he said.
Health and Community Wellness Director Dr. Hanaa Hamdi said officials were originally told the student was last in school on Monday, Feb. 23 at a point when she was not contagious.
But according to the attendance records they received Tuesday, the student came back to school that week, she said.
"Had we been given that information early on, the course of treatment and action would have been different," Hamdi told 1010 WINS' Rebecca Granet.
The child died on March 5 and officials are awaiting results to determine whether she had the infection. Officials said no other cases have been reported and the school underwent a thorough cleaning.
"I want to make sure that people are not as anxious, they're not as worried -- the best thing to do is seek primary care," Hamdi said.
The city is recommending students who came into close contact with the child be screened by their doctor or the Department of Health and Community Wellness clinic and treated for meningitis as a precaution.
"I have full confidence in our Department of Health and Community Wellness and its partners to protect us from further outbreaks of meningitis, and urge residents who feel concerned about their health to contact their primary care physician or our city clinics, get checked, and stay informed," Baraka said in a statement.
Newark To Check Students After First-Grader Dies Of Suspected Bacterial Meningitis
Those who don't have a primary care physician can contact the city's Mary Eliza Mahoney Health Centers at (973) 877-6111 or (973) 733-7600 to see one of the city's health care providers.
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