Officials study meningitis cases

Aiken experts look for ties to Georgia occurrences

Viral meningitis is an infection of the lining of the spinal column and brain, but it is usually much milder than bacterial meningitis. The disease is quite common. Its symptoms usually include sensitivity to light, headache, fever, stiff neck and general fatigue. It affects mostly children, and most usually recover within seven to 10 days.

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Health officials in Aiken are looking into 10 recent cases of viral meningitis to see whether there is a link to an outbreak in Augusta, South Carolina officials announced Tuesday.

The new cases are all in preschool- or school-age children, and all of the children are doing well, officials said. The disease, which usually produces mild symptoms such as headache and fever, is not normally reported to the state Department of Health and Environmental Control, but local hospitals had been put on alert because of the rash of cases on the Georgia side of the Savannah River.

Because officials don't usually track cases, the number of Aiken County cases might not be unusual, said Veleta Rudnick, the epidemiology disease surveillance coordinator for the Lower Savannah Health District.

"It's hard to say we have an increase. We think we have an increase," she said. Officials are looking at the particular strain of the virus to see whether it matches the one from the Georgia cases, Mrs. Rudnick said.

There have been 40 cases reported in recent weeks, mostly in Richmond and Columbia counties. Recent cases have popped up in surrounding counties: two each in Burke and Jefferson, and one apiece in McDuffie and Jenkins.

Georgia public health officials also have put hospitals on alert for new cases and are looking for a common thread among the cases, which affect mostly children.

"They're looking at places that kids might frequent - theaters, parks - looking at all kinds of places," said Emmitt L. Walker, the risk manager for the East Central Georgia Health District. "We're looking at any place that may have been frequented by more than one of these cases. There doesn't seem to be any link whatsoever."

The disease is normally spread by droplets from sneezing and coughing or by food and water contaminated with the virus. Symptoms usually last seven to 10 days, and most patients recover completely.

The thing to remember is that it is easy to avoid contracting the viruses, Mrs. Rudnick said.

"You can prevent it if you use good hand-washing and personal hygiene," she said.

Reach Tom Corwin at (706) 823-3213 or tomc@augustachronicle.com.

--From the Wednesday, May 7, 2003 printed edition of the Augusta Chronicle