1 Mo. soldier dead of meningitis; 1 seriously ill

[samanthajane13]

By JIM SALTER, Associated Press Writer Jim Salter, Associated Press Writer – Mon Feb 16, 4:59 pm ET

ST. LOUIS – One soldier is dead of meningitis at Fort Leonard Wood and a second is "very seriously ill," according to officials at the Army base in southern Missouri.

Fort Leonard Wood officials announced the cases in a news release Sunday but released few details and did not identify either infected soldier. A media spokesman at the base on Monday said there was no additional information other than what was in the release.

Meningitis, an infection of the fluid of the spinal cord and the fluid that surrounds the brain, kills about 300 people in the U.S. each year.

Both case at Fort Leonard Wood involved non-contagious forms of meningitis, authorities said. The two soldiers were members of the same unit, but no connection has been found between the cases.

"Although difficult to comprehend, all clinical data show these cases are unrelated and purely coincidental," Lt. Col. John Lowery, deputy commander for clinical services at Fort Leonard Wood, said in a statement.

The first soldier died after being diagnosed on Feb. 5. The second soldier is a 28-year-old in basic training who was diagnosed Friday with a strep pneumonia infection leading to meningitis. The base said that soldier is "very seriously ill" but in stable condition at St. John's Hospital in Springfield.

Brian Quinn of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services said he was not familiar with the Fort Leonard Wood cases.

Authorities say that even though the illnesses were non-contagious forms, they are "heightening awareness" of preventive measures. Soldiers are being reminded to wash their hands, avoid sharing utensils and to use proper cough etiquette and personal hygiene.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Surgeon General's office and the Army Medical Command are reviewing the Fort Leonard Wood cases.

Elsewhere, three students at the University of Pennsylvania were improving after contracting meningitis this month. Penn canceled all official university and student-sponsored parties over the weekend, and more than 2,100 students have received antibiotics as a precaution.

The CDC said meningitis is usually caused by a viral or bacterial infection. Viral meningitis is generally less severe and resolves without specific treatment, the CDC said.

Bacterial meningitis can result in brain damage, hearing loss, learning disability or death. Symptoms include high fever, headache and a stiff neck, and can also include nausea, vomiting, discomfort looking into bright lights, confusion and sleepiness. It is treated with antibiotics. The CDC says early diagnosis is vital.

Some forms of bacterial meningitis are contagious, spread through exchange of throat secretions, but the CDC said none of the bacteria that cause meningitis are spread through casual contact.

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On the Net:

Fort Leonard Wood: http://www.wood.army.mil/wood_cms/index.shtml

CDC: http://www.cdc.gov/meningitis/


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090216/...s_meningitis_2

[samanthajane13]

2nd soldier at Missouri base dies of meningitis
By JIM SALTER
Associated Press Writer

A second soldier stationed at the Army's Fort Leonard Wood has died of meningitis, officials said Tuesday.

Army officials said Pvt. Randy Stabnick, 28, of South Bend, Ind., died Tuesday at a hospital in Springfield.

A 23-year-old soldier from Alabama stationed at the base died Feb. 9. His name and hometown were not released at his family's request.

Both soldiers were members of the 1st Engineering Brigade of the 554th Engineers Battalion, said Col. Tommy Mize, commander of the brigade. They lived on the same floor in the same barracks. Both were in training to become heavy equipment operators.

At a news conference, officials at the base said the deaths were both the result of pneumococcal meningitis, a bacterial strain of the disease. The base's chief medical officer, Lt. Col. John Lowery, said there was no concern of an outbreak over a strain of meningitis he characterized as "non-contagious." But he admitted officials were puzzled that two soldiers died within days of each other from the same disease.

"Is it just lightning striking twice or is there something unusually different in these cases?" Lowery asked.

To help find the answer, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sent four representatives to investigate.

Lowery said no one else from the base shows signs of the disease.

Base officials said they were increasing soldiers' awareness of preventive measures, reminding them to wash their hands, avoid sharing utensils and to use proper cough etiquette.

Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University, said unlike other forms of meningitis, pneumococcal meningitis is not easily spread and is not considered to be very contagious. On rare occasions it has appeared in clusters, in "enclosed" crowded settings such as jails or nursing homes.

Schaffner said about 15 percent to 20 percent of people who develop pneumococcal meningitis die. The disease also can cause neurological damage.

In 2002, five people at Fort Leonard Wood became ill with meningococcal meningitis. A 12-year-old boy who attended school on the base died.

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services is not involved in the Fort Leonard Wood investigation. Outside the base, health department spokesman Kit Wagar said, three meningitis cases have been reported in the state this year, most recently a 15-year-old girl diagnosed during the weekend and hospitalized in Columbia.

Wagar said Missouri had 26 cases last year, including three deaths.

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AP reporter Bill Draper in Kansas City, Mo., and Lindsey Tanner in Chicago contributed to this report.


http://www.buffalonews.com/260/story/582149.html