What does the health department do when cases are reported?
A. The health department investigates every proven or suspected case of meningococcal meningitis that is reported. First of all, the health department makes sure that close contacts are treated with preventive antibiotics, and that casual contacts are alerted to the signs and symptoms of disease. The health department also collects information on the particular type of N. meningitidis that causes each illness. If the same particular type is seen in several cases, the health department sometimes recommends immunization of some or all persons in the community. Although there is not strong scientific evidence that mass immunization can stop a community epidemic of meningitis, it is probably worthwhile when a high rate of disease occurs in a community. Q.
A. The health department investigates every proven or suspected case of meningococcal meningitis that is reported. First of all, the health department makes sure that close contacts are treated with preventive antibiotics, and that casual contacts are alerted to the signs and symptoms of disease. The health department also collects information on the particular type of N. meningitidis that causes each illness. If the same particular type is seen in several cases, the health department sometimes recommends immunization of some or all persons in the community. Although there is not strong scientific evidence that mass immunization can stop a community epidemic of meningitis, it is probably worthwhile when a high rate of disease occurs in a community.
