Daycare warns parents of meningitis
At least one child reportedly ill with contagious disease affecting the brain
Shane Magee
Northern News Services
Published Wednesday, October 8, 2014
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Parents are being notified that at least one child who attended a downtown daycare has come down with meningitis, a contagious disease that causes swelling around the brain and spinal cord that can be fatal.
Marine Voskanyan, executive director of the Yellowknife Day Care Association, didn't say whether the infected child attended her daycare, citing confidentiality reasons, but confirmed parents with children attending the daycare have been warned.
"I can say that we have been taking precautionary measures and that public health nurses have been helping us with that," said Voskanyan, adding that any other information would have to come from the Department of Health and Social Services.
Yellowknife Daycare is one of two daycares in city, not including dozens of dayhomes, and it has space for up to 60 children. Few details, including how many children may be affected, are known about what prompted the daycare to notify parents.
Meningitis symptoms include headache, drowsiness, rash, fever, vomiting and a stiff neck and can be caused by viruses, bacteria, fungus or other organisms.
Viral meningitis can get better without treatment, while bacterial meningitis can be life threatening, requiring immediate antibiotic treatment.
Both viral and bacterial meningitis can be spread via respiratory and throat secretions such as saliva and spit, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States.
The territorial health department had little to say about the latest meningitis warning but insisted there is no outbreak of the illness.
"It's not an outbreak. If it was, we'd be warning people," said Damien Healy, spokesperson for the department, on Tuesday.
Yellowknifer sought an interview with Dr. Andre Corriveau, NWT chief public health officer, but was directed to the Yellowknife Public Health Centre.
A message was left with the manager of public health, but no reply was received by press time.
