1 Inmate Dead as Meningitis Strikes Jails

One inmate has died and at least two others are critically ill following an outbreak of meningitis at the Peter J. Pitchess Honor Rancho in Saugus, prompting authorities to suspend visiting hours at the jail, the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department said late Saturday.

Officials said a fourth inmate was in stable condition with a “possible” case of meningitis. Two of the stricken inmates were taken Saturday to Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital in Santa Clarita, Sgt. Ron Spear said.

Two inmates at the Central Jail in downtown Los Angeles who were also stricken have recovered.

Officials would not release their names or the name of the inmate who died of the infection Thursday.

Sheriff’s authorities identified the form of meningitis in the confirmed cases as meningococcal, an acute infectious disease marked by inflammation of the brain and the spinal cord because of bacterial infection. Bacterial meningitis occurs most frequently when people live in close contact with one another.

Spear said visiting hours have been canceled at Pitchess Honor Rancho until further notice, and movement among inmates has been halted to prevent the spread of infection. Antibiotics are being administered to more than 200 Sheriff’s Department staff and 2,000 inmates who have been exposed to the disease.

“We regret the necessity of this action, but caution dictates that we limit contact and movement of inmates temporarily,” Spear said. The jail houses 9,200 inmates in five complexes, including the Ranch Facility, the North County Correctional Facility and the East, North and South facilities, Spear said.

Two of the confirmed cases were diagnosed in inmates housed at the South and Ranch facilities.

The six cases represent the worst outbreak of meningitis in the county jails since the late 1980s, when at least eight cases occurred annually from 1987 through 1989.

Dr. John H. Clark, the Sheriff’s Department chief medical officer, said inmates and staff began receiving antibiotics Saturday evening. He said that he informed Shirley L. Fannin, director of disease control programs for the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, of the inmate’s death Friday and that surveillance in the jails and in the general population was being increased.