4th-Grade Student Dies Of Meningitis
Public Meeting Called To Inform Parents, Community
POSTED: Thursday, May 17, 2007
UPDATED: 11:17 pm EDT May 17,
2007
  |
VIERA, Fla. -- About 200 parents turned out Thursday night to ask questions about Odyssey Charter School fourth-grade student Christopher Cimaglia, who died Wednesday of bacterial meningitis.
VIDEO: Student Dies From Apparent Meningitis
Cimaglia had been ill only one day before his death and had attended school Tuesday. Odyssey parents asked dozens of questions of school and county health officials about their children's possible exposure, during the meeting, according to Local 6 News partner Florida Today. Health officials said "spit to spit" is the only way a child could contract the disease, which causes swelling of the brain and can be fatal."I have a fourth-grade son here. At 10 years old, I don’t think he can reassure me that he didn’t share a drink," Kim Hunt said.She said she plans to have her son take antibiotics, Florida Today reported.Dr. Olga Emgushov, director of epidemiology with the Brevard County Health Department, told parents the disease is difficult to spread and is spread only by shared saliva, either through sharing a drink or a toothbrush. Casual contact doesn’t spread the disease, she said.Parent Minton Williams questioned whether the school would be sanitized, particularly the bathroom. Emgushov said that isn’t necessary, because the bacteria is short-lived outside the body. School founder Constance Ortiz said the school is being cleaned as a precaution.Emgushov said it’s impossible to know how the child caught the disease, but said the department is assessing which children or staff, if any, had any exposure and should receive antibiotics.Principal Irvin Rashkover said that with only a few days left in the school year, classes will continue, including a field trip planned for today.One parent, Carla Costello said her fifth-grade student, Courtney, won’t return to the school this year.“How do we know there aren’t more carriers?” she asked.Velma Bryce-Rose said she was very concerned when the school called her to pick up her son, Terrence Rose Jr., 7, a first-grade student who was sick.“He had a temperature so we took him to the hospital and they gave him antibiotics. I was freaking out, but they said they don’t think it’s related because he didn’t show all the symptoms,” she said.Meningitis causes the brain to swell. It has an incubation period of seven to 14 days, but can rapidly affect small children. Symptoms include nausea, headache, neck or back pain, weakness, high fever and a rash that looks like bruising.The child was taken to Holmes Regional Medical Center, where he died. Parents of students received notice after school of the incident.A service for Cimaglia is planned at 2 p.m. Tuesday at Faith Baptist Church of Palm Bay. Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.
VIDEO: Student Dies From Apparent Meningitis
Cimaglia had been ill only one day before his death and had attended school Tuesday. Odyssey parents asked dozens of questions of school and county health officials about their children's possible exposure, during the meeting, according to Local 6 News partner Florida Today. Health officials said "spit to spit" is the only way a child could contract the disease, which causes swelling of the brain and can be fatal."I have a fourth-grade son here. At 10 years old, I don’t think he can reassure me that he didn’t share a drink," Kim Hunt said.She said she plans to have her son take antibiotics, Florida Today reported.Dr. Olga Emgushov, director of epidemiology with the Brevard County Health Department, told parents the disease is difficult to spread and is spread only by shared saliva, either through sharing a drink or a toothbrush. Casual contact doesn’t spread the disease, she said.Parent Minton Williams questioned whether the school would be sanitized, particularly the bathroom. Emgushov said that isn’t necessary, because the bacteria is short-lived outside the body. School founder Constance Ortiz said the school is being cleaned as a precaution.Emgushov said it’s impossible to know how the child caught the disease, but said the department is assessing which children or staff, if any, had any exposure and should receive antibiotics.Principal Irvin Rashkover said that with only a few days left in the school year, classes will continue, including a field trip planned for today.One parent, Carla Costello said her fifth-grade student, Courtney, won’t return to the school this year.“How do we know there aren’t more carriers?” she asked.Velma Bryce-Rose said she was very concerned when the school called her to pick up her son, Terrence Rose Jr., 7, a first-grade student who was sick.“He had a temperature so we took him to the hospital and they gave him antibiotics. I was freaking out, but they said they don’t think it’s related because he didn’t show all the symptoms,” she said.Meningitis causes the brain to swell. It has an incubation period of seven to 14 days, but can rapidly affect small children. Symptoms include nausea, headache, neck or back pain, weakness, high fever and a rash that looks like bruising.The child was taken to Holmes Regional Medical Center, where he died. Parents of students received notice after school of the incident.A service for Cimaglia is planned at 2 p.m. Tuesday at Faith Baptist Church of Palm Bay. Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.
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